


Almost In Your Arms

by messofgorgeouschaos



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Harry, Actor Liam, Actor Louis, Actor Zayn, Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Golden Age Hollywood, M/M, Manager Niall, Mutual Pining, No Period Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-10-10 08:44:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17422646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messofgorgeouschaos/pseuds/messofgorgeouschaos
Summary: It's 1953, and Louis Tomlinson is a household name after winning two Academy Awards in his career. Now he's about to star in his first period piece:Hadrian, the story of the gay Roman Emperor. He has one rule, though, and that is to never get involved with another actor. That rule gets hard to follow when he starts to fall for his love interest in the film, and even harder when they're put into a publicity relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *deep sigh* Hi everyone! This is posting as a WIP because it's the only way I'll ever get this done. I had a good chunk of this done last year, but after I lost someone it got hard to continue this story. Lately I got some more inspiration to write (since I truly wanted to get this story out), and now I decided it's ready enough. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> I also want to thank Ivy, my beta, and Sada, Mary and Miriam for listening to me complain all the time lol
> 
> The title is taken from a song of the same name by Sam Cooke, a song that was basically played on a loop while this was written.

Louis woke up to the sound of clothes rustling, his cheek pressed against the coarse fabric of the pillow case, scratching lightly against his morning scruff. He let out a small groan as he began to hear the dull roar of the cars whizzing by on the street below them, the busy rush of traffic that happened this time of day. One of his eyes decided to open, carefully straining against the bright rays of sunshine that hit his bed.

He blinked as his sight adjusted to the light, a soft headache growing as his mind protested with pounding fists against his temple. With a low moan, he turned towards the noise that woke him.

He blinked again to see a dark haired man standing by the foot of the bed, looking as if he just took a shower and was now getting dressed.

“Good morning, sunshine,” the man smiled, buttoning his shirt up.

Louis glanced at the clock on the nightstand. At almost seven in the morning, the sun already peeking through the blinds by the large windows, hoping to brighten the dim room.

“Morning, Tom,” he muttered as he rolled onto his back. He felt his spine creak a bit as he tried to stretch against the hard mattress.

“Last night was fun,” the other man said, turning around to fix his tie in the mirror by one of the dressers. “Do you want to meet again tonight?” he asked.

Louis shook his head as he sat up on his elbows. “I’m busy all day, and I know it’s going to be a long night. I’m meeting with my manager for breakfast,” he yawned as he turned to face the window. “I’ll give you a ring next week?”

Tom nodded as he turned back around, gathering the rest of his things. “Be sure to call me, Louis,” he said with a smile before he walked towards the door and left.

Louis groaned as he turned to see the time again and started to remind himself of all the things he needed to do today. Meet Niall, go to Paramount, meet his co-star, go to the table read, get acquainted with the rest of the cast.

“Right,” he murmured to himself. “One task at a time then.” The first thing to do was to meet Niall downstairs for breakfast, and to do that he had to get out of bed to at least shower.

He didn’t even expect to spend the night with Tom, and he certainly wouldn’t have agreed to an early breakfast with his manager had he known beforehand. With one final look at the clock ticking away, he threw off the covers and marched over to the bathroom.

About half an hour later, he emerged freshly shaven with a towel around his waist, combing his wet hair into a quiff. Leaving the large bathroom, he walked across the room to pull out a navy shirt from the closet and grab a pair of tan khakis. Just as he was about to take off his towel, the loud ring of the landline filled the hotel room.

He quickly ran over and answered it, his towel dropping on the carpet in the process. “Hello?”

“Mr. Tomlinson?” a cheery voice said, too merry for the morning. “This is your wakeup call requested by your manager, Mr. Horan. He also wanted you to know he is waiting in our restaurant right now.”

Louis rolled his eyes as he looked towards the clock again. The smaller hand was inching closer to the eight as he squinted at it. “Thank you, Miss. Please inform him I’ll be down in about five minutes,” he said before hanging up the phone.

After picking up the towel, he quickly changed into his clothes for the day and caught a glimpse of himself before heading out the door. Decent enough without putting much effort, he thought to himself, and that’s how he liked to be.

Even though he was on the 12th floor of the building, he decided to take the stairs down instead of waiting for the sluggish elevator to make its way up to him. He passed by some people who were clearly doing their walk of shame, even though he did not find much shame to it. Women wearing their dancing dresses from the night before, men still wearing their evening suits with their ties slung around their necks, trying to avoid any eye contact. But some did meet his eyes, and he smiled to them as he made his way down, hoping to brighten their morning with a bit of kindness. He remembers his own walks when he was younger, and he would have preferred that strangers smiled at him rather than frown once they saw him still wearing the suit he wore to an awards ceremony the night before. He wasn’t ashamed for his outings, but he didn’t like to see people act as if he should have been.

Soon he found himself in front of the restaurant, a brightly lit place that was already bustling with people, and said his name to the hostess.

“Mr. Horan is in one of the private booths with a view of the pool,” she smiled.  “Would you like me to show you, Mr. Tomlinson?”

Louis thanked her as he shook his head. “I can find my way easily. Thank you, love.”

He shuffled along the tables, each with a crisp white cloth over their surface as the people ate their morning meals, catching casual conversations of the patrons as he went along.

_“Have you seen Gene Kelly’s new movie? It’s spectacular! The man dances like no other.”_

_“I saw Carole and Clark walking around here the other day. What an adorable couple.”_

_“Hopefully I’ll be cast as an extra in Jimmy Stewart’s new film! Been waiting forever to get an autograph from him.”_

_“I heard there’s a new movie starting to film today with Louis Tomlinson in the lead! He’s going to play a Roman emperor!”_

Louis smirked at the last one. The general public didn’t know about it yet, but it was nice to know there was some buzz about it going around Los Angeles. He liked knowing his movies were at least a little anticipated.

He spotted Niall already digging into his food, reading the morning paper as he ate. The Irishman was wearing one of his signature tweed brown suits, clearly ready for the day.

Niall waved him over as he made his way to him. “Louis!” he greeted as he continued to cut his pancakes. “You’ll have to excuse me for starting without you, but a man has to eat and I had no idea when you would get your bum down here.”

Niall was one of his oldest friends in town, thankfully becoming his manager once he moved to Paramount from MGM. Given that Niall was related to one of the founders of the studio, he was able to negotiate a better contract for Louis once he moved there, and they’ve had a wonderful partnership ever since.

“The day you wait for me to eat is the day I’ll be worried,” Louis laughed as he sat across from him, already seeing his favorite morning dish in front of him: a typical English breakfast. Well, as close to what Americans could come to with an English breakfast.

“I ordered your usual, so we could get going to the studio on time,” Niall said through a mouthful.

“Very kind of you,” Louis answered as he started to fork through his eggs. He had to admit he was a bit nervous about the first day but having Niall there would ease his fears. It wasn’t like this was his first time being the star of a feature film. He’s starred as the leading man at various times in his career, but there was something about this film that made the butterflies in his stomach stretch out of their dormant state from all those years ago. Maybe it was the fact it was his first period piece, but something felt different.

“So,” Niall said after a few seconds, not looking up from his plate. “I heard you spent the night with Tom again.”

Louis looked up before reaching over to grab the salt shaker. “How is it that you think you know my private doings so well?”

“I’ve got my spies everywhere,” Niall said with a shrug. “So how true were my sources?”

“I was,” he answered simply, not wanting to drag this out. “Just for a quick fuck. He invited me out to drinks last night and we ended up in my suite.”

“And you’re never one to turn down his charms,” he smirked as he pointed his fork at him. “How long have you been seeing each other again?” As if Louis has ever mentioned it, which he  _hasn’t_.

“We’re not ‘seeing’ each other.” Louis frowned as he thought for a moment. It should have embarrassed him a bit not knowing all the times of his casual encounters with Tom, but he had better things to worry about. “We’ve only slept a couple of times together. It’s not serious in the slightest.” And he didn’t want it to be.

Niall only had an eyebrow raised in response.

“What?” Louis scowled harder, forking at his eggs.

The Irishman blinked back at him. “As your manager it’s my job to know what’s actually happening in your private life,” he shrugged in response. “So I know what to keep hidden.”

“I can very easily keep my life hidden without your help,” Louis said with an eye roll. “The public knows I’m gay, and that’s as far as they need to know. Who I’m fucking is none of their business.”

“If you say so,” Niall murmured as he bit into his toast with strawberry jam. “Just tell me if it ever gets serious so I know how to go forward with that.”

“I don’t do serious and you know that.” If there was one conversation he didn’t feel like having, it was this. Especially at this time in the morning. Luckily, he knew how to steer the conversation into something much more favorable. “Speaking of which, how’s Richard?” he asked, noticing how easily Niall’s face softened at the mention of his husband.

“He’s doing well. He’s supposed to be home with Judy right now, claiming she has a fever but I know they both went to Disneyland together. Our housekeeper called me to tattletale, but I can’t really blame him. I’d spoil her rotten too, if I was home,” he said with a grin. “And she’s becoming a sarcastic little shit, and we really can’t get enough of it. He claims she gets it from me,” his nose wrinkled as he smiled. “And I don’t really blame her.”

“As if having a miniature version of you running around is good for society,” he giggled as he drank his orange juice. “Tell her I’ll come visit her one of these days. She still owes me a drawing of that new turtle you have in your backyard.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her when I get home,” he beamed as he poured some more sugar into his coffee. “Now about today, are you ready for it?”

Louis nodded. “I’ve read through the script about a hundred times now, and I think it’s going to be a smash. Both making it and in the box office,” he took a bite of sausage before continuing, “but about my co-star. Have you met him?”

As excited as he was to start filming, he still had yet to meet the person who was going to play his love interest in Hadrian. He was so excited to be cast he forgot to even ask who the directors were even going to cast in the other roles. It wasn’t like he  _had_  to know, but he would at least like to know if he’s someone he could get along with. Being the dark of things wasn’t his favorite feeling.

“I met him a few days ago. Nice chap. Last name is Styles,” Niall said as he called the waiter over for the check. “A newcomer, formerly a stage actor before a studio head grabbed him to be a star after seeing him on Broadway last year. He just landed in Los Angeles last week, actually. And now he’s going to be your love interest for Hadrian.”

Hadrian. Louis had fallen in love with the script once Niall sent it to him months ago, promising he was in talks with the casting directors to get him the lead role. He went in and auditioned a few days later, in between shooting days from a movie he was filming in San Francisco. He almost cried from joy once Niall called him to say he nabbed the role. After being known for his dramatic roles in this era, he liked the change of pace a period piece might give him.

And as a bonus, the script was as romantic as it could get. Hadrian was a Roman Emperor that lived long ago, and he fell in love with a servant in his life. Passionately in love. So much so that he had a temple built for him after he died. By all accounts they were fantastic lovers, but Louis assumed the script wasn’t  _that_  historically accurate with how their interactions would go. But it sounded well enough on paper, and that’s what the studios cared about.  

“So, they’re sure he’s the perfect Antinous?” he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Niall shrugged. “From what I’ve heard he’s a pretty good actor. I guess we’ll have to see after this table reading if everyone was cast right,” he said as called over a waiter and looked at his watch. “Which means we should probably be heading out now.”

Louis noticed the time as well and nodded. “Let’s get going then. I drive, or you drive?”

“Of course I’m driving,” Niall huffed as he stood from his seat, leaving more than enough bills on the table for the bill. “As if I’d ever let you drive my baby.”

Louis chuckled as they walked out of the restaurant together.

***

Despite it being late October, there was a nice warm breeze around them as they drove along the busy streets to the studio. It had taken Louis a few years to get accustomed to the California weather; a big difference from the cold of northern England. He liked Hollywood, with its flashy signs and tolerable climate, but he found himself at peace at his permanent home in Palm Springs. Far enough from the bustle of show business yet surrounded by others who worked like him and wanted to get away.

After Niall parked his car in the company lot, they made their way under the big sign at the entrance that Louis had grown to consider his working home. “Paramount Studios” is read in big letters, glittering in the morning sun. They passed by some familiar faces, waving to Rosemary Clooney before she walked into another building.

“I thought she finished filming already?” Louis asked as he saw her walk away. “At least that’s what she told me last week when I ran into her.”

“They need a couple more scenes for the film,” Niall shrugged. “Some Christmas movie due out next year.”

They had just walked into the main studio when they heard someone shout Louis’ name.

“Louis!” the stout man gasped as he almost ran over to hug him, his shoes clipping against the tile floor. “My shining star! So happy you arrived already.”

“Happy to see you as well, James,” Louis answered as he returned the hug. James Corden was one of his favorite directors to work with, so he couldn’t have been more elated when he found out he was directing this piece. “How are the wife and kids?”

“Doing fine as usual,” James said with a big grin, a huge chocolate chip cookie in hand. “Be sure to thank your mum for these cookies she had sent over for us on our big day. She always was a sweetheart.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her on my next phone call with her,” Louis laughed. His mum had known James before he became a successful director, and once Louis went to Hollywood on his own, she asked James to look out for him. The man kept his promise, and Louis couldn’t thank him enough for all the guidance he’s given him over the years, especially when MGM wouldn’t put him in films during his contract.

He was just about to remark on a crumb that was on his shirt when James began to speak again.

“Before I forget!” the director remarked with his finger in the air. “I need you in one of our green rooms right now. We need to do a final screen test before we start.”

Louis frowned as he turned towards his manager. “I thought I was already cast for sure?” He was even flown in for a few screen tests in between filming his last film. And being the first choice for James would have surely made him the confident lead.

“You are, my boy,” James said as he took his arm and led him down a hallway. “But the president of this fine studio would like to see if our casting for Antinous was the right choice. So, we need a screen test with both of you to ease his worries.”

Antinous. The servant Hadrian falls for. Niall had said he had met him earlier, and that put enough confidence from his standpoint in their casting call. Especially if he was pulled off Broadway. He had to be a decent actor, right?

“Is it really necessary?” he asked as he was being led towards some open doors, noticing Niall was trailing along as well. “I can act well enough to have chemistry with anyone.”

And he knew it was true, since tabloids always assumed he must have been fucking his co-star, no matter the picture he was in.  _“The way he looks at him”_  they would write,  _“there is no way they aren’t an item!”_ In one way, it was flattering how believable his acting was, but that’s all it was:  _acting_. Nothing else. And it didn’t matter if his new co-star was a toadstool; he’d manage to have chemistry with him no matter what.

“We know that, darling,” James said as he knocked on the closed door. “But Mr. Balaban wants to make sure everything is perfect about this film. This is the most expensive project they’re making this year, and they want to know it’s in good hands with their stars.”

Louis tried not to roll his eyes as the door suddenly opened, and a slim, blonde woman gave them an empty smile as she stepped aside to let them through. There was a camera set up with a basic screen in front of it, probably to record their test.

James stopped them from moving forward, telling them to wait as he went to over to the group of men in suits that were standing at the other end of the room.

“Did you know about this?” Louis whispered to Niall, who was now standing beside him.

“I would have told you if I did,” Niall murmured. “They usually schedule these tests before they cast, but it clearly wasn’t necessary when they were first casting,” he angled his head to look more closely at the crowd. “Ah, James was right. Mr. Balaban is here.”

Louis turned to look and spotted him, a rather bald man at the center of the horde. Mr. Balaban was the president of Paramount, and the one who had given him a new work home once he expressed desire to end his MGM contract. Not the friendliest of men, but he was responsible for keeping Paramount in the running with the other major film companies, and Louis was more than happy to stay with a studio that treated him well. And he liked how they didn’t enforce his contract too strictly, allowing him to a majority of the movies that he wanted to audition for. Besides, they had to be nice to their star that won two Academy Awards under their studio.

“He doesn’t really come to these screen tests,” Louis murmured in response. “Usually it’s his assistant or another executive.” He didn’t know whether to be excited or worried about this.

Niall shrugged. “Well let’s just get this over with. I want to see how this script is going to play out, and we need the table reading for that.”

Finally, the group of men made their way over to them, Louis shaking their hands in greeting.

“Hello, Louis,” Mr. Balaban said with a small smile. “Glad to see you made it.”

“If you think this is necessary,” Louis said as he let go of his hand, “I’m more than willing to do it.”

“Wonderful.” he said as he stepped aside, his large frame apparently blocking someone behind him. “Now I would like to introduce you to your new co-star. I do believe you haven’t met yet?”

Louis forgot how to breathe for a second as he saw who was standing there. The man was a beauty, blinking his green eyes back at him as he quickly studied him. He had long hair, an uncommon hairstyle, yet still looked lovely on him. His lips were a deep shade of pink, plump enough to rival the starlets of the day. Long limbs and a slim figure, he admired the way his clothes hung on him. He looked dashing, with a hint of loveliness attached to it. The ends of his curls lay against a crisp burgundy button shirt, the name “Styles” embroidered over the shirt pocket.

 _This_  beauty was his co-star? Someone up there really didn’t like him.

“We haven’t met yet, Mr. Balaban,” Louis said with a smile, hoping he looked welcoming enough.

“Hello Mr. Tomlinson. I’m Harry. Harry Styles,” the man greeted in a deep voice that seemed soft at the same time, his hand out for Louis to shake.

An inexplicable heat lingered on the back of Louis’ neck as they shook hands, rising up his arm as he felt his palm firm against his own. He hoped he wouldn’t sweat, not wanting to embarrass himself so early on in their work careers.

“I can tell by your lettering,” Louis said with a nod towards the pocket, “Think you’ll forget your name that easy?”

Harry followed his eyesight to the gold letters and gave a shy smile. “A friend of mine gave me this shirt for my first show on Broadway,” he giggled. “so I keep it as a good luck charm of sorts. Especially on a day like this.”

Louis couldn’t help but find it endearing. “Well nice to meet you, Styles. I’m Louis Tomlinson. You can call me Louis if you like.”

“Oh, I already know all about you,” the other man said as he looked over at James. “You’ve got two Oscars under your belt for two different roles, my favorite being your leading role in  _A Place in the Sun_ , but I do have a soft spot for your supporting role in  _Key Largo_  so I’d say you’re very well known. Even my mother back in England sent me a telegram asking me to get an autograph of yours. I even went-” he suddenly stopped himself and blushed slightly. “Sorry. I tend to ramble if no one stops me.”  

Louis smiled, impressed with his apparent knowledge of him and even more endeared with his apparent shyness. “Well remind me to make one out to her, alright? Wouldn’t want to disappoint the people at home,” he said with a wink, hoping to put him at ease. “What part of England are you from? Your accent seems familiar.”

“Cheshire,” he said with a grin, cheeks still rosy. “Not many people around but I consider it home.”

“Oh? I’m afraid to say I haven’t been there,” Louis replied, popping a hip out slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m from Doncaster, and I’d say the population isn’t enough to rival London of sorts. And I’m glad I haven’t lost my accent as much with all my time spent here. Everyone expects me to have an American accent at this point.”

“But then who would want to speak like an American,” they said at the same time, Louis’ eyes widening as a flush crept on Harry’s cheeks again. Did they really just say the same thing?

“It’s truly wonderful to see my actors already in sync!” James exclaimed as he clapped his hands together, looking between them as neither said a word. “This is going to make shooting  _much_  easier. Now just read off these,” he said as he handed them each a sheet of paper that his assistant had just brought over, “after you get in front of the camera.”

Louis glanced down at the script, trying to determine which part of the story the few lines were from. After a quick read, he determined it was a meeting between Hadrian and Antinous, in the courtship phase of their relationship. The scene notes stated they were in one of the gardens of the palace, and they were sitting on a bench under a tree as they spoke.

A makeshift bench was brought in for them to sit on, and soon the camera was rolling as they started to say their lines.

“Just read what you have,” they heard James say off camera. Louis glanced around the room, seeing all the eyes that were on them. With a small smile and a final glance at Harry, he started.

 _“I would love to get to know you better,”_  Louis said, trying to meet Harry’s downcast eyes. He knew it must not have been from Harry’s own shyness since the notes said Antinous must appear shy at first.  _“Are you afraid of me?”_

 _“No,”_  Harry glanced up, meeting his eyes.  _“I don’t fear you. But I do wonder what you want with me, Your Grace.”_

Louis was impressed the younger man didn’t need to read off his paper for that, like he saw many young actors do despite them having no time to rehearse for this.

 _“I want whatever you are willing to give,”_  Louis said softly,  _“You’re beautiful, and your mind matches it. I only seek your companionship.”_

Harry’s eyes widened.  _“I’m not beautiful,”_  he replied, his eyes shifting away.  _“And you have your scholars if you need like-minded individuals. What makes me so special?”_

Even if it wasn’t in the script, Louis gently reached over a hand and brought a finger under the other man’s chin, turning him to meet his eyes.  _“Because you stood out to me in a way that no other person has, and when I look into your eyes, I feel myself come alive.”_

Louis realized how hooded his eyes had become in the process, and how supple Harry looked as he gazed back at him, his eyes fixing on his mouth. He imagined they looked like a couple from one of those Italian paintings Zayn had hanging in his house, so enthralled in each other they ignored the others around. He almost forgot there was a camera in front of them, and really wanted to lean in and kiss him. Damn the script.

“Fantastic!” they heard a man bellow, cutting the tender moment in half. They both looked over to see Mr. Balaban standing from his seat, starting to clap as they rest of the small group followed. “That’s exactly the type of chemistry I wanted to see,” he said with a small nod towards the director. “I trust you will utilize this to your full advantage, Mr. Corden.”

“Of course I will,” James said as he shook some hands. “Turn off that camera, send the film to Mr. Balaban’s office, and I’ll see you boys in the large meeting room in no less than ten minutes!” he said before walking out of the room, the men chattering as they walked away.

Louis still found himself frozen, watching as the room emptied. Even Niall walked out with them, and only a few crew members were left to clean the room. He realized that meant Harry was still with him, and he slowly turned to face him.

He thought he would have been watching the same scene he just saw, but instead he found him staring back at him, eyes wide as if he was a rabbit that was about to scurry away. And Louis already felt the need to calm him down.

“You did great,” he said softly. “I’m going to enjoy these months together.”

“Really?” He watched as Harry’s shoulders visibly relax, taking a deep breath in the process. “Sorry. I didn’t know we were going to do a screen test.”

“I wasn’t prepared either,” he chuckled, hoping it would break the tension, “and I’m the  _lead_. So don’t worry about it,” he glanced at the door. “Mr. Balaban was clearly satisfied with it. We’re going to do fine.”

He watched Harry crack a smile, a dimple appeared on one cheek, as he pushed some curls behind his ear. The man looked young, but he couldn’t really guess what age he was. 23? He didn’t look more than 25. He’ll have to ask Niall later to give him the complete background of his fascinating new co-star.

Harry must have realized how long they had been staring at each other, and quickly turned his head and fumbled with the paper in his hand.

“I should um-” Harry squeaked out as he attempted to point his finger in the general direction that James left. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah I have to um-” Louis nodded as he stood up from his bench and suddenly thought about Niall, “talk to my manager about something. See you soon, Styles.”

As they walked out of the room and Harry hurried away, Louis could frown as he watched him. Something felt so familiar about him, yet they only just met. Maybe this would make the filming go easier, since getting along with your co-stars was always a plus. He didn’t expect to look forward to filming so much, but now he was. And he didn’t know how to feel about that.

***

After finding Niall having a vivid discussion with one of the producers which quieted once Louis got close enough, already making the actor suspicious, they found their way into the meeting room for the table read.

He greeted some of the other actors, surprised to see some familiar faces from his other films. One in particular was Thomas Hardy, a lad who also came from England and made a name for himself in Tinseltown. He was usually cast as a villain in the crime dramas Louis would star in, but he knew the man was nothing like his character. This was Thomas’ first period piece as well, and this time he would be playing one of Louis’ generals. Even though he was mostly used to the action and noir genre of films, it was nice to know there were other actors that were as versatile as him and could adapt to other settings.

The tables were arranged in a circle, so everyone could see each other from where they were sitting. Niall pointed out where Louis’ name tag was, indicating that he would be standing behind him with the rest of the managers and agents that were there for their clients.

As he was about to sit, he noticed Harry walking over. It was obvious that they were supposed to sit together, so Louis pulled the seat out next to him, moving away so Harry could sit in it.

“Thank you,” the younger man said softly as he sat down.

Once he saw that Harry was situated, he poured them both a glass of water from the pitcher that was conveniently in front of them. His experience with table reads always called for water given how much they had to speak throughout it.

“Scripts are being handed!” a crew member announced to the actors as everyone was starting to fill their seats. “Please take one and pass it down.”

Louis smiled as he handed Harry his, noticing how quick the younger man’s cheeks were to flush as they made eye contact again. He noted that for later. Taking a pencil from the tray in front of them, he quickly skimmed the first few pages and marked his own lines.

“Shall we begin, gentlemen?” James asked as he took his seat, looking around to see all the actors ready with their scripts open.

They went through the dialogue, carefully reading their lines as the rustling of pages was heard in unison with every page turn.

Louis smiled to himself as they went spoke the scenes, noting the ones he was eager to film, his scenes with Harry in particular. Their scenes included their first meeting in Turkey, their meeting again in Italy, a small scuffle between them that included swords (which Harry had tried not to giggle as he read them aloud, Louis smirking next to him as he followed along and tried to appear angry), and ultimately, the scenes were filled with some kisses here and there. Louis felt himself flush at the thought of kissing those pink plump lips.

By the end of the reading, they all applauded themselves as James had champagne brought out to make a toast.

“To the next few months,” he said as he raised his glass, Louis looking over at Harry as their director spoke. “I can say with certainty now that Mr. Aoki did a marvelous job in casting this film, and we are officially set to start production on Monday. To Hadrian!”

“To Hadrian!” they cheered, Louis clinking his glass with Thomas, who was sitting next to him, as they smiled at each other. He turned to find Harry clinking his glass with Peter Ustinov, who was playing another of his generals. He waited until Harry turned back to him, raising his glass to him.

“To Antinous?” Louis offered, tilting his head. “And the love he shared with Hadrian that inspired this film?”

Harry gave him a wide grin, enough for his dimples to appear, which made Louis momentarily lose his composure at how adorable he looked.

“To Antinous and Hadrian,” he responded, clinking his glass with Louis’ before tilting his head back to down it. Louis couldn’t help but stare as the younger man’s bottom lip looked delectable against the rim of the glass.

“To Hadrian and Antinous,” he replied softly, downing his drink as well.

This was going to be one hell of a shooting.

***

“A love scene? Will the studio allow it?”

Instead of getting into costume, Louis found himself in James’ office bright and early Monday morning, still in his regular clothes. Niall had told him to meet him there to discuss something important, and this was the _last_ thing he ever thought they would be discussing. His manager wasn’t even there yet, but James had told him enough already.

“Scenes, my boy. As in more than one. You see, times are a changing, Louis.” He said before taking another shot of whiskey, which Louis thought was too early for something that strong. “Last month the council approved of a plan to show intimate scenes on screen, and that includes the male on male ones. This movie is actually going to be the first of its kind.”

Needless to say, Louis was proud to be one of the first to do so, but it was still a shock that they were even going to be filmed in the first place.

“So I’m going to have to do that with Harry?”

James nodded. “It’s not like I’m asking you to fuck a lady, Louis. We all know how you swing.”

“Of course you’re not,” Louis rolled his eyes. Having to do that with Harry was no problem, theoretically. “But you know what I’m talking about. I’ve never…” he worried his lower lip, “done that in front of a camera before. And I don’t remember such scenes during the reading day. Did you leave them out on purpose?”

“You just have to hump a gorgeous man in front of a camera for one or two scenes,” James waved him off. “And yes, there’s a reason we left them out of the initial reading. They’re going to be so quick and easy to shoot you won’t even remember you’re doing them. You pretend to fool around with that walking Greek statue for a bit, and then you’re done,” he said as he tapped his fingers on the desk. “And you’re aware the final weeks of filming will be in Italy to get the large-scale scenes? So your intimate scenes will be shot there as well.”

“And why wouldn’t we do them here in the studio?” He couldn’t find the logic of flying half across the world to film something they could easily do here.

“Because, dear Louis,” James smiled. “I want you both more comfortable with each other when we do such scenes. By the end of the shoot, I hope you both will be close enough that it won’t be awkward at all. Besides,” he smiled, “I’m sure the Italian air will make them very steamy.”

Louis tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes for the second time in a span of two minutes. He’s been to Italy, and the only thing that made the sex more hot was the weather.

“And you’re going to date him for a few months,” Niall announced as he walked into the room.

Louis turned to see his manager walking in, a briefcase in hand as he walked towards James’ desk. Did he hear him right?

“I’m going to what?” he shouted, sitting up in his chair as he frowned deeper.

“You heard me, Lou,” Niall sighed as he opened his briefcase and started to bring out large stacks of paper.  _Contracts,_  he realized.

“Not only am I going to have a love scene with him,” Louis said uneasily, “but I’m going to date him for publicity as well? I haven’t had one of those in ages, Niall. That’s the entire reason why I came to Paramount.”

Niall shook his head. “You weren’t totally free from them, Lou. They put a clause in your contract that they are allowed to put you in one of these relationships once every ten films. You’re actually on your fifteenth with them, but they respected your wish to stay single. Now they want to use it.”

Based on the expression of his face, he could tell Niall tried all he could to get him out of doing it. His hands must have truly been tied.

“But I don’t even know the man that well,” Louis groaned as he got up from his seat and walked over to the window, peering through the strands of sunshine that the blinds let in. Outside, he could see the people bustling around as they rolled carts of costumes through the sets, writers leaning towards each other as they discussed scripts and walked to other stages “Has he agreed?”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Niall shrugged. “It’s his first movie with them, so they make him do what they want.”

“Poor kid,” Louis murmured.

“Kid?” James scoffed. “You’re not that much older than him, Louis.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he jeered. “Even though I started earlier than him I still would have been terrified at his age if I would have to be dating my first ever co-star in a feature film.”

He remembers how MGM would make him go on dates with their leading or up and coming men instead of putting him in movie roles. He wouldn’t have minded doing so if he got to work at the same time, but it’s almost as if they only hired him for publicity instead of actually acting. That was one of the main reasons he sought to end his contract there. He came to Hollywood to act, not be used as a prop.

“If he wants to stay in the industry,” James said as he leaned back in his desk chair, clasping his hands over his belly, “he’ll learn these are things he needs to do. And it does you no harm, Louis. It’s not like anyone around here is going to suspect you’re really dating.”

“But we shouldn’t have to do this either way!” he shouted. “No one should care about my private life, and we shouldn’t have to put this sham for some publicity. Let the film speak for itself!”

Niall leaned over the desk as he sighed. “You’ve got two, you hear that, two Oscars under your name, Louis. The public wants to see you as an,” he paused in thought, “all around man. Dating someone will spruce up your image and it will give the movie some more promotion. It really doesn’t hurt anyone and gives you both good publicity for the future.”

Louis thought for a moment, brows furrowing on his temple. He always hated doing these relationships, more for the annoyance than his image. He had been out his entire career, so being paired up with random men wasn’t that bad, but he made sure to never make it personal. Harry seemed like someone he could come to consider a friend, and he doesn’t know how the younger man would treat him if he was forced to be around him for a while.  

“Can you at least bring him in here, so I know he’ll be okay with this?” he sighed as he turned around, rubbing his head in the process.

“That can be done,” James said with a nod as he leaned over his desk and pressed one of the buttons on the board. “Alice? Please find Mr. Styles and bring him in as soon as possible.”

“Will do, Mr. Corden,” a muffled voice replied through the speaker. Louis took one of the empty chairs in front of James’ desk, assuming Harry would take the other one across from him when he got there.  

A few minutes later a wide-eyed Harry came knocking, his curls dangling in the air as he popped his head in through the open door. “You called for me, Mr. Corden?”

“Yes! Do sit down, my boy,” he said nodding towards the chair. “We wanted to discuss something with you.”

“And get your signature on some papers,” Niall said as he spread the contracts out in front of them.

Louis watched as Harry took the seat in front of him, greeting him a small smile.

“Are you speaking about the love scene and the,” he looked down as his hands in his lap, “publicity relationship, Mr. Corden?”

“Yes,” James firmly. “The love scene will be tastefully done, and I will try to make sure you are both as comfortable as possible. The studio, especially Mr. Balaban after seeing your screen test, believes this to be an excellent match for promotion. You are just starting out in the business and this will give you a great introduction to the public. And Louis finally gets some of his ‘private’ life in the press, appeasing his fans, so it’s a win for all.”

Win for all. Now their sudden screen test made sense. Louis tried not to hide his annoyance as he gritted his teeth. They didn’t need to do this. There was absolutely no need to put them in a relationship for the sake of publicity, but no matter how many times you stood in front of the heads of Paramount or MGM they never listened.

“So Harry,” Louis said as he tried to meet his eyes. “You’re okay with this? The love scene and the… relationship?” he looked around. “Wait. Isn’t your manager supposed to be here?” They couldn't be springing this on him just like that.

“I already went over these contracts with Jeff,” Niall interjected. “We had a lunch over the weekend and sorted things out once Mr. Balaban's office called me. Sorry, Louis.”

Louis sighed, knowing Niall did his best. But now what mattered most is Harry, and he had to know what he had to say. He turned to see if Harry had a reply.

The younger man gave a small nod as he met his eyes. “I don’t have much choice in the matter, but I’m not totally against it.”

“You see,” James said as he got up from his chair. “The boy understands. Just a few paparazzi pictures here and there, some outings to get people to see you, even some while we’re filming the movie, and we’re all set.”

“Now if you both don’t mind signing,” Niall said as he nodded towards the stacks of paper.

Louis looked over at Harry, who was staring back at him with those soft green eyes he found himself wanting to get lost in. “I’m ready if you are,” the pretty man replied softly.

Well then. It was settled.

“Do hand me a pen, Mr. Corden,” he asked as he held his hand out. Once he felt the cold metal in his hand, he signed near all the “x” marks Niall had made over the papers. He handed the pen off to Harry and the other man followed suit.

“Glad to have this settled, gentlemen,” James said with a smile as Niall collected the contracts. “Tomorrow we’re going to start shooting the first scenes, so for the rest of the day I want you and the cast seeing that your costumes are fitted perfectly so we can start shooting bright and early tomorrow. Chop chop!” he said as he nodded towards the door.

As they walked out from the room, Louis pulled Harry aside as Niall waited for him at the end of the hall. His hand lightly gripped his bicep as he looked around to make sure no one would hear them.

“Okay I want you to tell me straight,” he said softly. “Are you really okay with doing this? I was a mess in the head the first time I did this, so I  _need_ to know if you’re okay.”

“To be honest,” Harry said without meeting his eyes. “It is a little nerve wracking having to pretend like this, but I’ll just treat it like another acting gig? Besides,” he finally looked into his eyes. “I do feel a little easier doing this with you.”

“Really?”

“I’ve only known you for a few days, but you seem nice enough, Mr. Tomlinson.”

“Oh please,” he chuckled “Call me Louis. We’re going to be close enough to be on a first name basis.”

Louis loved the smile that bloomed on the other man’s face when he said that, clearly content with their new familiarity.

“Louis,” he grinned. “I like that.”

“Well,” Louis gave him a wide smile, “I like your name as well. Hey um-“ he looked over at Niall, who was standing by the doorway waiting for Louis to finish and acting as if he wasn’t eavesdropping. “Don’t hesitate to ask me for anything, okay? I would have liked more experienced actors teaching me a thing or two on my time on set when I was just starting, so if you need anything I’m here.”

A gentle smile settled on Harry’s lips as he replied. “Thank you, Louis. I’ll be sure to ask if anything comes up.”

“Okay,” Louis let out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. “I’ll see you in costuming later? I look forward to seeing whatever skimpy robe they decide to put you in.”

“No skimpy robe for you?” Harry asked with a tilt to his head, a slight pout on his lips.  _That shouldn’t be adorable,_  Louis thought to himself.

“No,” he chuckled. “I’m an emperor remember? Heavy and elaborate fabrics are going to be draped over me instead. Maybe even some armor later on. I’ll just have to ogle your bare chest for the time being,” he said before he realized what was coming out of his mouth, eyes widening.  _Shit._  “Oh no I don’t mean-“

Harry giggled as his dimples reappeared on his smooth cheeks. “You can ogle me all you want,  _Louis_. Besides, we’re supposed to be ‘dating’. Nobody is going to think ill of it,” he said with a laugh.

He walked away before Louis could reply, his cheeks still flamed in embarrassment. Harry looked over his shoulder with a slight smirk before turning the corner and disappearing.

“What in God’s name,” Louis whispered to himself as Niall walked towards him.

“You alright?” he asked, eyeing him over with a cocked brow. “Think you’ll be able to get along?”

Louis looked down the hallway as he replayed Harry’s walk away in his head. This was the first time he blushed in public in ages, and all because his head to mind filter decided to malfunction and somehow brought out a flirty side of Harry. But Harry didn’t even seem to mind; he actually  _liked_ what he said. The next few months are going to be anything but boring if he’s around Harry this much. Hopefully he wouldn’t embarrass himself into a frenzy.

“I think we’ll do just fine, Niall. Just fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, their costumes had turned out to be beautiful. Louis was being fitted in one of his outfits as Harry arrived, smiling to each other as the younger man was led into another room. He looked forward to working with him but knew it would still be a few days before they filmed their scenes together.

The next day Louis was decked out in red and purple robes as he stood in his throne room, looking out onto his supposed citizens, who were just extras dressed in a variety of Roman clothing.

The set designers had done a magnificent job creating the illusion they were actually in Rome. There were large columns painted to look like real alabaster standing all over the set, with drapes of different colored silk attached to the ceiling.

Right now, he was sitting on the beautifully crafted throne at the top of a large staircase, surrounded by his servants.

For some reason, he still felt disappointment over not getting to film with Harry yet, even though he knew it was only for a couple of days. It’s not as if he needed to have him there, but he did want to get to know him more, and the best way to do that was to at least be in the same room together.

“Read that line again, Louis!” Mr. Corden’s voice boomed through the red megaphone in his hand, interrupting his thoughts. “And action!”

 _“Citizens of Rome,”_  Louis bellowed into the crowd, aware of the microphone above his head trying to catch his speech.  _“As you may have heard, you know my deep appreciation of Greece, and how vital it is for this empire to be welcoming of other cultures. Therefore, I will be making a tour of our territories, to visit all the citizens and assure them how important they are to keeping this realm strong for many centuries to come!”_

The crowd clapped and cheered before he continued. Louis smiled as he looked over the cheers, until he saw a familiar face standing near the director’s chair. Harry was in his servant costume, which was just as skimpy as he had described. His broad chest was on full display, and he could have sworn it was oiled up and gleaming in the reflecting lights. His mouth went a little dry before he continued.

_“And since it is the day of Vulcan, please go and deliver your offerings to his temple and enjoy the rest of the evening in festivities!”_

The crowd cheered even louder as they bowed to him and turned towards the doors as they pretended to leave.

“And cut!” Mr. Corden shouted as he hopped out of his chair and rushed over to the throne as Louis started to walk down the large steps leading up to it. “Brilliant work everyone!” he said as he walked through the crowd, “and Louis!” he cheered as he reached him, “you did a marvelous delivery on that. Looking every bit of the regal emperor Hadrian was.”

“Thank you, James,” Louis said with a grin, noticing that Harry wasn’t too far behind and walking towards him as well. He stopped at the foot of the steps as Louis continued made his way down. “And what do you think, Styles? Or should I call you Antinous,” he said as he slowly looked him over with no shame, realizing he wasn’t wrong when he noticed how shiny his body was, “since I hope this is why you’re dressed like that?”

“Heyyy,” Harry giggled. “Are you implying this isn’t how I normally dress?” And just to further emphasize his point, or torture him a bit more Louis thought, he twirled in place, showing how tight and fitted the beige robe fit around his mid-section. “I don’t think being drenched in oil throughout the day is historically accurate, but um, I digress.”

“I think you would have a lot of men at your feet if you dressed like this on a daily basis,” Louis murmured as he tried to look away, his eyes particularly interested in how shiny his nipples looked. He wanted to bite them.

“You think so?” Harry asked in his sweetest tone, a mischievous grin on his face. “Even an emperor?”

Louis nearly choked on his air, almost as if Harry knew how badly he wanted to ravage him right then and there. “Well I don’t know how much Hadrian would agree,” he coughed uneasily, eyes meeting his. “But I’m sure if Antinous looked like you, he would most certainly be at your feet. But,” he added as he stared at Harry’s mid section once more, “I’ll have you know if I was walking around in that all day, I would be having thousands of men at my feet as well. These robes,” he nodded down to his clothing, “don’t show how wonderful my bum looks.”

Harry smirked, pretending like he was trying to look behind him to confirm. “Feel free to borrow this any time, Louis. I’m not stopping you.”

Before he could reply, James came up to both of them and interrupted their repartee.

“And that’s a wrap for today, lads!” he said as he placed his hands on their shoulders. “You did splendidly up there, Louis, and from what I heard from Ben you did a marvelous job on your opening scenes, Harry. Well done to you both.”

“Thank you, James,” Louis said with a grin. “I look forward to Styles here joining us on the main stage.”

“He’s got about two or three more days filming his initial scenes before he meets Hadrian,” James said, “so expect him on Monday or Tuesday to finally be making an appearance.”

“I’ll be waiting then,” Louis said with a grin, meeting Harry’s eyes that glimmered in happiness.

***

The next two days passed by smoothly, as Louis filmed the rest of his scenes in the big studio while Harry was filming his with the second crew. Once James had filming early one evening, Louis decided to pay back the unannounced visit that Harry had made him, considering he needed to ask him something urgent. He quickly changed out of his costume and dashed towards the smaller set, which was built to resemble the ancient streets of Turkey.  

Louis looked around and saw Harry speaking with the assistant director, both of them leaning towards each other as they each pointed to different things on the set. After a while, the man patted Harry’s shoulder and walked over to his seat behind the camera.

“Okay, Harry. Action!”

 _“I want a better life!”_  he said to the other actor, who was standing near him.  _“I might be able to study in Italy, and not be bound to spend the rest of this life as a servant. I long for greater things, but I don’t know if I’m ready to leave this place I call home.”_

 _“Being servants are the best we can do,”_  the other man said.  _“But if you are able to study somewhere, I say you should, my friend. You never know when this opportunity would come again. Besides,”_ he said with a smile, _“you deserve it, Antinous.”_

 _“Thank you, my friend.”_  Harry smiled at him as he continued to look off into the distance.

“And cut!” the director shouted. He ran over to hug Harry, the younger man giggling into the hug.

Louis frowned as he observed them, watching as they pulled away and continued to speak to each other. Ben was always Mr. Corden's assistant director, so it’s not as if he was unfamiliar with him. But he was never  _that_  friendly with him when they shot together during other films. What made Harry different? He decided to get closer, so he could at least speak to Harry and say what he was here for.

“And that was your last scene on second unit!” he heard Ben announce to the crew member. “Well done, Harry. You’re truly meant to be here.”

“Thank you, Ben,” he said with a wide grin, and suddenly Louis came into view, his eyes growing wide. “Oh hello, Louis!”

“Hello, Styles,” Louis greeted as he walked closer, giving a short nod to Ben. “Finished then?”

“I say we are,” Ben said as he turned to Harry. “I was just telling Harry what an amazing job he did these past few days. I think he’s going to have a very distinguished career at Paramount.”

“Thank you,” Harry said softly as his eyes sparkled. “If you don’t mind, I need to go change out of this outfit and head back to my trailer.”

“Mind if I walk you?” Louis asked casually, hoping Ben would at least leave.

Harry’s eyes shifted to the director. “Um-“

“Oh that’s right!” Ben laughed. “You two are supposed to be a couple for the time being. Don’t let me stop you,” he said as he backed away. “I will see you boys on Monday.”

“That’s not what I wanted you alone for…” Louis trailed off as he watched him walk away.

“You wanted me alone?” Harry whispered with wide eyes.

“Yes I-“ he looked around to make sure there was no one that could be listening in. It’s not like people couldn’t see them talking together, given that they were supposed to be dating, but he preferred to keep some things private. “I just wanted to ask you something. I can explain while I walk you to your trailer,” he paused, realizing he didn’t get a clear answer before. “Only if you’d like of course.”

“I don’t mind, Lou,” he said with a smile.

“Alright then, Styles,” he said as he started to walk towards the doors, nodding for Harry to lead. “How were your last few days on set? What you expected?”

Harry tilted his head from side to side as he continued to walk. “Yes and no,” he mused. “I’m used to having audience feedback? I think that’s the biggest difference I’ve felt. I miss the big shining lights that are on your face as you look into the crowd and see hundreds of eyes staring back at you. Not that they don’t have big lights here, but it’s different. I miss getting up on stage and having the audience hanging on to your every word as you’re up there and-” he paused as Louis saw a blush bloom onto his face. “Sorry. I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“About your passion?” Louis shook his head, endeared yet again. “No. You can never talk too much about that, love.”

Harry let out a breath as he continued. “Okay. I hadn’t really considered the differences until you brought it up. I’ve only trained as a stage actor, so this film acting is pretty new to me. It’s nothing I can’t adapt to, though.”

“I’m sure you’re going to adapt very well and quickly. I watched you during your scenes, and I have to agree with Ben. I think you’re doing marvelous for your first days as a film actor.”

The younger man stayed quiet as they continued to walk, eyes wide and a slight flush to his cheeks. Louis worried he must have said something wrong.

“You alright, love?” he asked.

“Yes,” he squeaked out, as if still trying to process the compliment. “Thank you so much for saying that. I can’t deny it gives me a boost in confidence going into our scenes together.”

Oh. The compliment got him so flustered. Louis internally smirked as to not cause him further embarrassment. “No need to thank me, Styles. I truly mean it.”

As they reached Harry’s trailer, the younger man paused and faced his older counterpart.

“Louis,” he said looking around. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

Louis panicked for a bit. He didn’t actually have time to reflect why he wanted to spend more time around this stranger, but those curls and kissable ( _kissable?_  Yes he need to do some self-reflection) cheeks just… did something to him. Luckily, he thought fast on his feet, something that has gotten him through a lot in the industry.

“The relationship,” he said quickly.

Harry frowned. “Our relationship?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “I think to make it more believable, we need to spend more time together on set. Have people who catch a glance at us, spread rumors, that sort of thing. And actually, this leads what I wanted to ask you about.”

Harry frowned, titling his head a bit, “Go on.”

“Well,” Louis paused for a bit as he looked around the trailer, realizing how this perfectly fit into his plan.. “I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight? Two of my dear friends, who happen to be married, invited me to dinner at Chasen’s. I was thinking it would be a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better, and it would make this publicity stint a little easier on both of us. I never really got to know the people I was linked to before, but,” he said with a smile. “I wouldn’t really mind getting to know you better.”

He hoped Harry would accept, because he  _desperately_  needed to get to know him better.

“Are you sure?” Harry answered uneasily, chewing at his bottom lip. “I don’t want to intrude on your night or anything. Your friendship on set is enough for me, and you don’t have to be nice to me outside of this set. I really mean it.”

“I insist,” Louis said firmly, watching how a smile appeared on the younger man’s face. “Besides, I already ran this through with Niall and he agrees with me. I’ll pick you up around eight in the lobby?”

“Okay,” Harry breathed out with a nod. “Um, you know where I’m staying?”

“Of course I do,” Louis said with a laugh. “Paramount keeps us in either two hotels while filming: The Beverly Hills Hotel or The Hollywood Roosevelt. Since I haven’t seen you at my hotel, then you’re at the Roosevelt.”

“What if we just haven’t crossed paths while we’re at the same one?” Harry offered, hands crossed over his chest with a slight smirk on his face.

Louis shook his head. “Not possible.”

Harry still stood there with a tilt on his head, almost daring him to keep lying.

“Fine,” Louis huffed, “I had Niall confirm my guess.”

“So you cheated,” Harry giggled. “That’s not fair, Louis.”

“Excuse me for wanting to know where my co-star is staying,” he declared playfully, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I’ll be picking you up in the lobby of the Roosevelt at eight sharp. Got it?”

“Got it,” Harry replied with a smile.

He might have swung his hips a bit more as he walked away, hoping Harry would catch a glance. As he turned the corner, he found his hopes confirmed.

***

As Harry got dressed in his hotel room later that evening, as the sun was setting and creating a yellow glow in his suite, all he could think about was how the past week has transpired.

To say he was nervous would be the understatement of the year. Not the century, because he studied enough history to know other things could rival this. He was working with Louis Tomlinson.  _Louis Tomlinson_. The actor who inspired him to take up acting in the first place after seeing one of his first films in a dingy theater on a cold evening in Manchester. He remembers leaving the movie theater in awe that night, and the very next morning signing up for acting classes at a theater school in Liverpool. And now that same actor had given him a compliment on his own acting.

And he literally had to bite his tongue from yelping when he did, hoping he wouldn’t faint in front of him. He nearly fainted when that Paramount agent approached him after his shows one night. He definitely fainted when his own manager had called to tell him he was going to star in a film with  _the_  Louis Tomlinson, and he couldn’t help but get the same feeling when he was told what would happen between them. And he really couldn’t believe his luck in all this.

He was out here in Hollywood, making a movie with one of his idols. He had a lot of actors that he admired, and secretly hoped to meet at some point in the future, but he never expected his first role in a major film would be with Louis Tomlinson. At no point did he think Louis would even  _like_  him, especially after being forced into this publicity relationship. Now he was set to go on a date with him, and he found it all the more nerve wracking.

And if he had to be honest, he was still a bit stunned at the invitation. He thought he wasn’t really going to interact with Louis that much, considering how their relationship would look to the public. But, it didn’t seem disingenuousness the way he was asking. Maybe he did want to be friends, and it was just easier for them to continue on the relationship like that.

The phone by his bedside started to ring, interrupting his thoughts. He hurried over to answer it, a slight frown on his forehead. He wasn’t expecting a call from anyone.

“Hello?”

 _“Hello, Haz!”_  a familiar voice came.  _“So nice to finally hear from you.”_

“Oh, Gems,” he giggled, relieved to hear his sister’s voice after so long. “Wait,” he glanced at the clock. “Why are you calling at this hour? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

 _“I was out with some friends and one of them got sick so we’re at this hospital in god knows what town,”_  she grumbled.  _“So since we have to wait I thought I’d phone you! Especially since it’s been weeks since you’ve called.”_

Harry could hear the disapproval in her tone, almost able to match their mum’s.

“Sorry I haven’t phoned home,” he smiled sheepishly. “This studio life has got me more busy than I expected.”

 _“Well what else can I expect from our latest movie star,”_  she chuckled over the phone.  _“Mum has probably told ever soul in the county that her baby boy is in a feature film in Hollywood.”_

“Tell her I miss you both so much,” Harry replied, a smile on his face as he flicked the phone cord. “I actually can’t speak for too long, though. I’m going out tonight.”

He could hear Gemma gasp across the line.  _“You have a date already? I knew they’d pounce on you like a wolves at a chicken coop. You better be careful!”_

Harry blushed. “No, Gems. It’s not like that. It’s…,” he tried to explain, “not  _really_  a date.”

His sister stayed silent on the other side.  _“Are you trying to tell me you’re working as an escort? Because that’s not-”_

He found himself blushing harder. “No! Just listen! They put me in a publicity relationship with Louis-”

 _“You’re dating Louis Tomlinson_?!” came a shriek through the receiver, Harry having to pull the phone to salvage his ear drum.

“No!” he yelled back. “If you just let me explain, you’d know I’m being put in a  _publicity_  relationship with him given that he’s the lead of our film. We’re going to take paparazzi pictures here and there and make the public think we’re dating until the promo season ends.”

 _“Oh,”_  she said simply.  _“I didn’t think they’d put you in one so early. Well at least you’ll get all this good publicity, right? I mean, I know he doesn’t fancy women, but Louis is one hell of a good-looking man and still has the girls swooning over him.”_

 _Wouldn’t I know,_  Harry thought to himself.

“I know, Gems,” he sighed as he glanced at the clock again, “Well I hate to leave you like this but I really need to get going. I’ll call you later this week, alright? I’d love to talk to mum as well. Love you.”

 _“Love you too and take care, Harry!”_  she said before he hung up.

He glanced over at the clock and knew he had to be heading downstairs already, looking over at the large mirror as the sun outside was nearly set and turned on a nearby lamp. Luckily, he was already dressed in one of his favorite navy suits, his curls already soft and dry after his earlier shower. Satisfied with his appearance and a final nod to himself, he left his room to meet Louis.

And true to his word, Louis was standing in the lobby, changed into a crisp black suit, hair styled just so, and Harry just wanted to stand there and watch him from afar, taking in his beauty. He admired Louis for his acting talent, but he wasn’t going to kid himself into thinking that was the only reason why he admired him. In his eyes, he was the most handsome man he had ever seen on the screen, and even more so when he finally met him.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to his date for the night, who was currently leaning against one of the columns while having a lively conversation with a petite old lady with white hair and what looked to be expensive jewelry on her wrists.

“I have to agree, ma’am,” he heard him say. “I think they could have put more work into their acting instead of special effects.”

“I knew you would agree, Louis,” the lady cheered as Harry approached them.

“Hello there, Styles,” Louis grinned as he walked towards him, pulling him into a side hug and keeping his arm around his waist.

“Hello, Louis,” he whispered as he tried to recover from the hug he was given, still trying to process how close their bodies were, and glanced at the lady. “And Hello, ma’am. Am I interrupting something?”

“Of course not,” Louis said with a grin. “This here is Agatha, one of my biggest fans. She saw me at my first movie premiere and told me I would make it big. And she was right!” he laughed as the older woman blushed. “Agatha, this is Harry Styles, my boyfriend.”

Harry shook hands with her quickly, trying not to reveal the panic on his face from hearing Louis call him his boyfriend for the first time. He was expecting it, but that didn’t make him any more ready when he actually heard it.

“How lovely to meet you, Harry,” she smiled warmly as she shook his hand. “Louis tells me you’re in his new picture? How exciting!”

“I already promised her tickets to the premiere,” Louis smiled as he looked over at Harry. “And promised her a picture with us!”  

“Yes!” she praised as she turned towards Harry. “I have seen all of his films no matter what genre he makes, and it always ends up perfect!”

Even if celebrity fanbases were considered to be a young crowd, Harry loved to see that Louis even catered to his older fans as well. He knew he’d do the same once his own fanbase started.

“We’ll be looking forward to seeing you there, Agatha,” Harry said with a smile.

They quickly said goodbye before she walked away and Louis led him to his car that was parked outside, a 46’ red Cadillac convertible.

“You have a nice car,” Harry said looking it over as Louis opened the passenger door for him.

“Thank you,” he said happily as he rushed over to the driver’s seat. “Bought it after my first paycheck. And I don’t plan on replacing her any time soon.”

Harry enjoyed the cool California night as they drove through the streets, watching the bustle around them. He stayed mostly silent as he observed the people walking by, fascinated at how they almost reminded him of New York.

“Are you nervous?” Louis asked suddenly. “My friends known about the nature of our relationship, so don’t worry about that.”

Harry turned to find him staring, a bit of worry to his face. He  _was_  nervous, but he didn’t want to show it. “Not that much,” he smiled. “It’s just dinner with your friends, right? I am hungry after all.”

“Exactly,” he chuckled. “You might just see some familiar faces eating there as well, so don’t be too surprised if you do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Harry replied, turning back to face the street.

Before he knew it, Harry found himself standing in front of the famed restaurant after they left the car with the valet, jaw almost hanging open.

“Wow,” he breathed out before Louis placed a hand on his back and gently pushed him towards the door. Even on a weeknight, the paparazzi were already lined up outside the doors, snapping their lenses at them with every step they took towards the entrance. Harry wondered which pictures would be used for the headlines.

“Hello Mr. Tomlinson,” the host said as he welcomed them once they stepped inside. “The Malik-Payne’s are at their usual booth and are expecting you.”

“Thank you, David,” Louis said as he walked past him. “We’ll go there now.”

Harry had a series of mini-heart attacks as Louis lead him through the busy room, recognizing faces he had only seen in movie theaters when he would go with his theaters friends on their days off.

Elizabeth Taylor was seated in one booth, a man he couldn’t really identify next to her. She waved to Louis as they passed by their table.

He spotted a sandy haired man sitting close to another man, lost in their own world as they spoke to each other. He realized that was Tab Hunter with Tony Perkins. What a cute couple they made.

“Louis?” they heard behind them and stopped in their tracks to see a shapely blonde woman in a body-hugging crimson dress walking towards them, a big smile on her face as she hugged Louis very tightly. Since he was pulled away, Harry felt Louis’ hand grab his own, intertwining their fingers together.

“Hello darling!” the woman said as she kissed his cheeks. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in ages!”

Louis laughed. “I’m doing wonderful, Bebe. Just started a new movie actually, and you? Anything new?”

“That’s fantastic! I’m close to finishing a film with Grace Kelly, and we’re actually having a girl’s night if you spot her over there,” she pointed towards a booth in the corner where Grace waved at them as she drank her martini. “I was just coming back from the ladies room when I spotted you dashing in here and  _had_  to say hello!” It was almost as if in that moment she realized there was someone attached to Louis’ hand. “Oh I’m sorry for being so rude! And who might you be?” she said as she looked Harry over. “I have been telling Louis for ages to get a boyfriend, and now he’s finally nabbed one!”

“This is Harry Styles,” Louis coughed. “He’s my co-star on Hadrian. Styles, this is Bebe Rexha.” Ah, Harry knew she looked familiar! She starred in  _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ last year with Marilyn Monroe, a film he very much enjoyed.

“Co-star?” she frowned as she looked down at their clasped hands. “Oh. So this isn’t real is it?” she whispered.

Louis shook his head. “No. Just for the movie promotion,” he answered in the same level whisper.

“Ah I see,” she nodded. “Well don’t be a stranger, Mr. Styles! If you see me around don’t hesitate to talk. Any friend of Louis’ is a friend of mine.”

“Thank you, Miss Rexha,” he said with a smile before kissing her cheek goodbye. Louis quickly pushed him in their original direction towards the booth.

“Sorry about all that,” he whispered into his ear. “Bebe is such an old friend, but you must be starving at this point.”

Harry had to admit there was a certain grumble in his stomach, since he hadn’t had anything to eat since his small salad at lunch, but as he felt Louis’ warm voice fill so closely to his ear, he was definitely hungry for something else. But he didn’t need to admit that.

“And here we are-” they froze as they saw the couple in the booth. Harry immediately recognized them as Zayn Malik and Liam Payne, both acclaimed movie actors in their own right, and current sitcom stars. Liam was known for his romantic comedies at the start of his career, as was Zayn, but after getting married they were offered to do a sitcom of their choosing. They decided on a plot that revolved around an army officer having a genie after he found his bottle on a beach. Surprisingly (for the producers at least), it provided for great comedy, and Harry enjoyed watching their show when he had time.

The news of their relationship had spread like wildfire when it started, even Harry hearing about it back in England. Just a typical Hollywood romance that they were clearly still living. Now they were sitting in front of him, one with a cigar in hand as he almost sat on his husband’s lap, with said husband clearly whispering sweet nothings into his ear.   

“Hello, you married geezers,” Louis said as he interrupted them.

“Oh,” Zayn said as Liam pulled away, giving him a quick peck before he did. “Hello Louis. About time you arrived.”

“I’d say,” Liam grumbled as he adjusted himself.

“Would you have tried to fuck if I hadn’t made it here?”

“Wouldn’t be our first time,” Zayn said with a wink. “Now stop being rude and introduce your date, Tommo.”

Tommo? He hadn’t heard that one before. He wondered if that was something his closest friends called him then.

Louis rolled his eyes. “You bastards,” he mumbled before turning to Harry, a smile blooming on his face as he looked onto the other man. “Anyways, I want you all to meet Harry Styles, my co-star in the film.”

“Nice to meet you, Harry,” Zayn said with a warm smile. “This is my husband, Liam.”

“Oh I already know so much you both already,” Harry said as he shook their hands. “It’s truly an honor to meet you.”

“Looks like Harry has kept up with the fan magazines, gents,” Louis teased as he waved for Zayn to make room for them, allowing Harry to slide in first.  

“Sorry I’m not in my usual genie outfit,” Zayn smiled as he scooted closer to Liam. “Liam never lets me out of the house with it, unfortunately.”

“Always nice to meet a fan,” Liam said with a grin as he playfully shoved Zayn’s shoulder. “And now you’re a part of the screen actors club! Nervous yet? I know I was a ball of anxiety the first month I was here. Both for films and television.”

“It’s um-“ Harry said, looking at Louis as he settled himself next to him. “It’s new, definitely. But it’s not so scary as I thought it would be. It’s different than stage work, but I think I’ll manage fine,” he ended with a smile.

“Both James and Ben have said they like what they’re seeing in Styles, so I have to say he’s got a good career on the big screen planned ahead.”

“That’s very good to hear,” Liam replied with a reassuring smile, taking the cigar from Zayn’s hand and taking a deep inhale. “Ever since Louis told us about this script, we’ve been dying to see who was going to be cast as Antinous. And you seem perfect for it!”

“Thank you, Mr. um-“ Harry looked between them. “Payne? Are you Malik-Payne officially? Or did you keep your names?” He couldn’t remember if the tabloids mentioned that.

“Yes we are,” Zayn said happily. “We still hold our stage names, but in private and legally we go by Malik-Payne. But please, call us by our first names. You clearly get along with Louis, and I like you well enough already.”

“I shall,” Harry smiled, relishing in the welcome he was given. If there was one good impression he wanted to make, it was on Louis’ closest friends.

“So how’s your sitcom going, lads?” Louis started after they ordered some drinks.

“We’ve been offered to do about three more years at least,” Liam said. “But they want our characters to be having a kid soon, so we don’t know how we’re going to weave that storyline in.”

Zayn nodded. “And seeing that neither of us can get pregnant…”

“Shame,” Harry said aloud as he stirred his drink. He looked around to the to the wide eyes of the rest of the lads. “I mean-“ he rushed out.

“Have thoughts on being pregnant, Styles?” Louis almost giggled.

Harry blinked. “Wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” He had to admit he was fascinated by it, but never really confessed it until now. And he wanted to slap himself for choosing this moment to say it.

Luckily, Louis didn’t tease him about it like he thought he would, and instead shot him a smirk and turned to the other men. “Well I hope you have many more seasons, lads,” he said as he raised his glass to them. “You truly deserve it.”

They eventually ordered some food; Louis even ordering for Harry one of his favorite dishes since the younger man had no idea what to order. As he twirled around the spaghetti on his fork, he laughed at the stories Zayn was telling about their sitcom. Since they were married, they always arrived to work together, and the entire crew knew their routine. One day Zayn decided to let Liam sleep late and head to the studio alone, and by lunch time the rumor was spread that they were divorcing.

“We had a late start that day!” Liam recalled. “He literally just let me sleep for a few more hours, and when I get there I had the assistants telling me to get a good lawyer.”

“And I already had people hitting on me,” Zayn said with a wrinkled nose. “I had to snog him as soon as he arrived to really put down the rumors.”

“And in my rush to get there, I forgot my wedding band!” Liam said in exasperation. “The one time I forget, and it happened to be that day,” he shook his head as he leaned on Zayn’s shoulder. “As if he could ever get rid of me.”

Harry could only giggle as he watched them, envying their relationship. He wouldn’t mind that. Getting to work with your love, going home with them, literally spending the entire day with them and getting paid to do it. He realized right then how badly he wanted that if he was going to stay in this business.

At some point in the night, Louis managed to place his arm behind Harry’s shoulders. Harry hadn’t noticed until he felt the brush of his fingertips against him, his breath hitching a bit as he barely felt the warmth through the fabric barrier.

And it didn’t help when Louis leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. The spot of the kiss still burned as he pulled away, Harry almost checking to make sure there was no mark. He stared back at him wide-eyed, the green color rivaling saucers in size.

“Oh, sorry,” he said easily in a whisper, keeping a smile on his face as he realized people were discreetly watching them from the other booths. “We have to start acting like a couple. Gossip travels fast, especially when you’re in a restaurant like this. But I’ll try to warn you the next time I do that.”

“No just-“ Harry licked his lips and he blinked a few times. “You can do it whenever you want. Use me.”

Louis raised his eyebrows before turning back to Zayn who was clearing his throat.

“You know,” Zayn said. “Kate invited me to her get together tonight. Want to come?”

“Oh I haven’t seen her in a while! Love to,” Louis replied with a grin as he downed his glass.

“Kate?” Harry asked as he looked between them.

“Kate Hepburn,” Zayn answered easily. After seeing Harry blink back at him, he playfully rolled his eyes. “You know,  _The Philadelphia Story_ ,  _Bringing Up Baby_?”

“You mean Katharine Hepburn?” he gasped. “You’re on a first name basis with  _Katharine_  Hepburn?”

Liam frowned. “Well, she officiated our wedding,” he turned towards his husband, “I hope we would still be on a first name basis with her, Zayn.”

Louis giggled as he leaned towards Harry. “Kate has known Zayn since he first arrived in Hollywood. They’ve been friends for a long time, and once he met Liam she loved him as well. Considers them family in a way. His adoptive American mother, in a way.”

“Wow,” Harry breathed out. “That must be wonderful.”

“She’s a real doll,” Zayn said softly. “I miss my own mum so much, so it's nice to have someone familiar in that way here. So let’s go see her then? No point in making Harry wait any longer to meet her.”

They paid their bill and hurried into Louis’ car once the valet brought it. One of Dean Martin’s latest songs was playing over the radio as they cruised along the busy streets. Harry tried to catch every detail as he looked out the window, marveling at the nightlife of Los Angeles, not quite finished from his earlier sightseeing. Men and women out in their best clothes, hoping for a good night out. As they stopped at a street light, he noticed two men holding hands as they walked by, laughing together as they talked. He couldn’t help but smile as he stared at them, hoping that could be him one day.

As he listened to Zayn and Liam chat in the back seat, he looked over to their driver, smiling as he found him staring back.

“How do you like the LA night?” Louis asked, turning back to face the road. “Glamorous as you expected?”

“Well,” Harry sighed. “I saw more actors than I ever thought I would. A little nerve-wracking to be sure, but I’m still in awe of them.”

“Good,” Louis smiled as they continued to drive.

They drove to one of the mansions in a gated community, Harry almost gasping at the size of the house. They parked the car and walked up the cobbled path, a butler letting them in once they knocked.

Once inside and as they took off their coats, Harry looked around to see how beautifully decorated the house was. Lined with abstract pieces of art along the walls, and if he had more time, Harry would just want to sit and analyze every piece like he did on his downtime at the MET back in New York. With Louis by his side the entire time, maybe explaining it to him.

There were also a good number of people in the house, some having conversations on the stairwell, others by the window, others just walking by.

“Hello, darlings!” a woman said as she walked out from one of the rooms. Her hair was up in a tight bun, the silk robe she was wearing flowing behind her as she walked towards them. She gave Zayn and Liam a tight hug as she wrapped her arms around their shoulders. “Elliot told me you only just arrived. So wonderful to see you! And Louis! Always a pleasure,” she smiled as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Hello, love," he greeted. 

“You’re new,” she frowned, a glimmer in her eye as she eyed Harry, who standing nearby. “Finally got a boyfriend, Louis?”

“In a way,” he said easily as he took Harry’s hand. “This is Harry Styles. He’s my co-star in our new film. Studio decided to have us date for a bit to give the movie more publicity, so here we are, creating some gossip.”

“Dating for publicity?” she huffed with an eye roll. “When will those fools learn. Anyways,” she turned towards Harry and smiled, offering her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Harry. Make yourself at home!”

“Thank you, Ms. Hepburn,” he breathed out as he shook her hand.

“Oh just call me Kate, darling” she said with a hand wave, leading them all towards one of the living rooms. “If Zayn likes you, I like you.”

“Okay then, Kate,” Harry said with a smile. He loved the way she drawled out the word “darling", reminding him of her on screen characters. It was nice to know that actors put a bit of themselves in their roles, and he hoped he could do the same in his own.

“Wonderful! Now I’m about to start a round of blackjack and I know that’s Louis favorite game,” she said as she pointed to him. “Up for it?”

“Well I don’t want to leave Harry-”

“I’ll be fine, Louis,” Harry said softly as he cut in. “Go on.” He’d tag along with Liam and Zayn if needed, but he was fine being by himself.

Louis still looked like he wanted to ask more questions before Katherine dragged him away. The rest of them decided to take some drinks and sit on the couch, chatting with some of the other guests that came over and introduced themselves. Harry recognized one of them as Spencer Tracy, a longtime friend of Kate's. He went off into another part of the house with a man he didn’t recognize, Harry slipping his drink as watched them go.

“I’m going to catch up with some friends,” Zayn announced as he got up from the couch. “Want to come, love?” he said as he extended his hand towards his husband.

Liam smiled as he took it, bringing it to his lips instead. “You go on ahead,” he said as Zayn started to rub his cheek with the back of his hand. “I’ll stay here with Harry.”

“If you say so,” he said as he bent down to give him a quick peck. Liam took two glasses from a passing waiter and gave one to Harry, who just finished his other drink.

“So how are you doing, Harry? Has California been treating you well?”

Harry nodded as he looked down at the wine in his hand. “The past few weeks have been pretty interesting to say the least. I expected to come here to only work on a movie, though. Never imagined I’d have to date someone as well.”

“Does it bother you that you have to do it?” Liam asked softly. “Do you not like Louis?”

“Oh no!” Harry said quickly, seeing the worry wipe off Liam’s face. “Louis is one of the sweetest people I’ve met and I feel very lucky he’s my co-star for the film. But um-“ he chewed his lip nervously as he eyed him. “I do have a question, Liam.”

“Ask away,” he said with a smile.

“We met another one of Louis’ friends earlier in Chasen’s. I think her name was Bebe?”

“Oh yes, Bebe Rexha. One of the famous blonde bombshells. She’s known Louis since he arrived here fresh from Doncaster.”

Harry nodded. “She seemed to believe Louis was actually dating me, until Louis told her I was his co-star, and then she seemed to realize we weren’t actually dating. Almost as if… being his co-star immediately meant I wasn’t his boyfriend?”

Liam frowned. “So you don’t know his so-called rule?”

“He has a rule?”

“I thought he would have at least told you about it,” he said before taking a sip of his drink. “He’s never had affairs with his co-stars. A lot of Hollywood does, sleeping with the people you’re going to be around for a few months, makes it easier actually, but that was never Louis. Never saw the need of mixing work with that, as he put it. Followed along with the publicity stunts, but hand holding was as far as it would go. He always said he would rather have a partner that’s not in the same work as his, hence all of his hook-ups being men that aren’t actors.” He looked at Harry over the rim of his whiskey glass. “It just complicates things, according to him.”

“Well that sounds stupid,” Harry muttered. “I think having a husband that’s a fellow actor would actually be wonderful. They would understand the hectic work schedules and can easily raise a family together as well.”

“That’s what Zayn and I have been telling him for ages but,” he said with a shrug, “you’ll know soon enough how stubborn Louis can be. It’s very hard to change his mind on something.”

Harry felt like rolling his eyes. Maybe he just assumed he was right all the time, even though there’s a small chance he might be in the wrong.

“So he’s known for not sleeping with or actually dating his co-stars?”

Liam nodded. “Exactly. So you might have been believable at first glance, but anyone who knows of Tommo’s rule knows it’s a farce if he’s dating a co-star.”

“And he never tried to sleep with anyone before?”

“Not that I know of, and I’ve known him since I’ve been here. And it’s not like it’s a totally bad lifestyle. That’s how Zayn and I met actually.”

“Sleeping together while on set?” Harry asked, even though he already read all the gossip columns detailing their romance. Better to hear the version directly from the people who lived it.

“Yeah,” Liam said with a soft smile. “We slept with our co-stars before, and once him and I were cast in  _The Fountainhead,_  can’t say I wasn’t overly excited at the fact I might have a chance to sleep with him. We got along on the first day, slept together by the second week, fell in love by the third, and got married a year later.”

“Oh,” Harry said softly, his heart warming at such a tender story. “That sounds lovely. So you just hit it off right off the bat?”

Liam nodded. “No point in waiting it out, you know? Besides, if we didn’t marry soon the studio would have tried to set us up with other people, and that complicates things you know? I want to be the one kissing and holding my husband’s hand. Not some random person neither of us knew. So, we thought we should use their marriage clause to our advantage.”

Harry nodded, remembering that Jeff had explained it to him when he saw the wording in his contract. A marriage license would invalidate any publicity relationships they would have to have to be put in, which in turn encouraged actors to get married if they wanted to be with someone the studios didn't put them with. And it made sense. If he had an actual partner, he wouldn’t want to see them with someone else doing what they would do. That marriage clause didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Hey Harry,” Zayn said as he walked over to them and sat next to his husband, seemingly done meeting his friends. “Louis doesn’t want to be a bother, but could you bring his cigars from his coat over to the table? He’s got a good hand and doesn’t want to get up. He wanted me to bring them but,” he kissed Liam softly. “I’d rather be right here.”  

“Oh of course,” Harry said as he got up without a second thought. The butler showed him where the coats were kept, and once he finally spotted Louis’, he fished around the pockets until he found what he needed. As he pulled out the cigars, a small piece of paper fell from the pocket and onto the ground.

He frowned as he bent over to pick it up, curiosity getting the better of him and started to read it.

_“I’m staying in Malibu for a bit. I’ll call you when I get back. – Tom”_

“Tom?” he whispered, feeling a frown on his face. Who was Tom? Tom. Tom. Tom. He already didn’t like the name. Sure, Louis wasn’t actually his boyfriend, but why was someone named Tom leaving notes in his fake boyfriend’s pocket? He quickly put it back before he gave in to the urge to rip it and grabbed the cigars.

After asking the butler where they were playing cards, he walked down the hallway until he heard the laughter coming from a bright room. He slowly knocked and opened the door, peering in from the side.

“Harry!” Kate greeted him as he walked into the room. “How wonderful of you to join us!”

“Hello,” he waved to everyone at the table who happened to look up from their cards. “Zayn told me Louis wanted his cigars so…” he quickly walked towards Louis as he pulled them out of his pocket.

“I asked Zayn to bring me them, but,” Louis giggled as he pulled him in closer by the waist. “You’re a much better upgrade. Did he send you so he can snog Liam on the couch or some private room they happen to find?”

Harry nodded as he wrinkled his nose with a smile. “Probably ruining the upholstery as we speak.”

“It’s not like I haven’t walked in on them quite enough,” a woman with a short bob said as she took a drag from her cigarette. “The boys you seem to draw in, Kate.”

Harry recognized her as Carole Lombard immediately, and he realized he had to get used to meeting famous people at this point, especially from the sheer talent sitting at the table.

“Don’t act like those boys aren’t sweethearts,” another lady said with a laugh. “If it wasn’t for Zayn we wouldn’t have met Louis over here, and without him we wouldn’t have finally found someone to beat Kate at her own card game.”

“You know you’re my favorite, Greta,” Louis grinned as he blew a kiss to her. Garbo, Harry noted. Again, the talent was undeniable.

He still kept his hand around Harry’s waist as the women continued to chatter, and as Harry glanced down at him, he realized this relationship might be easier to handle than expected. It felt so natural to have Louis touch him, as if there was already a shared intimacy between them. He didn't know what to make of that.

***

Later that night after they said their goodbyes to everyone, and as Zayn fell asleep on Liam’s shoulder in the backseat of the car, Louis couldn’t help but look over and watch Harry as he looked out the window. If his focus wasn’t on the road, he would have loved to be staring Harry instead. For now, casual glances to his pretty curls as they gleamed in the low light were enough.

Eventually, they found themselves in front of the Roosevelt.

“Thank you for tonight, Louis,” Harry whispered before opening the door, looking back to see Zayn stirring in his sleep as Liam held him closer. He leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Goodnight.”

All night long Louis had been the one initiating the contact between them, mainly for show and partly to get himself used to being affectionate with Harry. But now he was caught off guard with his own gesture, and it almost took his breath away to see how soft his lips felt.

“Goodnight, Harry,” he whispered as he watched him walk away from the car and into the hotel.

He let out a deep sigh before glancing into his rear-view mirror, eyes meeting Liam’s, an eyebrow raised in question.

“It’s just for show,” Louis said as he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think anything of it.”

Liam simply shrugged as he kissed Zayn’s forehead. “I didn’t even say anything,” he said softly.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows in response, starting the engine to distract himself. It was just for show. They discussed it. Just for show.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a few days late! I had a change of plans with the plot and needed to work things out lol. Enjoy the first dates, first kisses, and possibly first heartbreak of the fic.

The next week brought their first scene together, even though it was relatively short compared to the scenes they would be shooting together in the future. James was in happy spirits when Louis arrived on set, nodding to him as he passed by. He didn't stop to chat since he was eager to get to costuming and see Harry.

"Are you ready for today, Louis?" the director called out as he passed him.

"More than ready, James," he laughed as he continued to walk. He didn't even know why he was in such a happy mood, but he wasn't about to second guess it. Maybe it had to do with Harry, maybe not. The younger man was a joy to be around, more than any co-star he had ever met. The more he got to know him (because he was right; their outing with the Malik-Paynes was as successful as he hoped), the more he realized what a wonderful person he was, and what an incredible actor he could be.

And sure enough, Harry's soft smile brightened his whole morning once he saw him. Already decked out in his costume, a little more fabric on his waist cloth really, his hair in pretty ringlets around his face, he looked every bit the Antinous he was meant to be. But Harry left before Louis was done getting into his own costume, leaving him a bit sad that he wouldn't get to chat with his before their scene. 

Their first scene together was where Hadrian would meet all the student servants who were selected for studies back in Italy and Antinous would be among them. It was relatively short for a first meeting, but there would still be many to come for the remainder of the filming.

As he was sitting in his navy canvas chair, with “TOMLINSON” embroidered in white on the back of it, Louis took a deep breath as he read over the scene descriptions one more time.

_"Hadrian walks in. He sees the men lined up and starts eyeing them carefully as he walks in front of them. Once his eyes meet Antinous, there is a spark between them.”_

“A spark,” Louis muttered as one of the makeup girls came running over to powder his face one last time. He can’t deny that he felt some sort of emotion, or connection if you will, once he met Harry. But then again who wouldn’t? He  _is_  a gorgeous creature who probably has that effect on everyone. And that’s all there was about it.

But he had to act as if Antinous was the only apple of his eye now. It wouldn’t be too hard if he was staring at Harry the entire time. He could pretend to fancy him. After all, he was an actor. But it made him a bit nervous to see how easy it was to do so. He could just blame his skilled acting.

“Ready on set!” a crewman yelled, shaking Louis out of his thoughts. He hopped out of his chair and walked over to the scene that was made up. It was decorated with extravagant carpets along the floor, the plaster columns lining the area. There were fake ivy leaves tossed around and used to decorate the room and from a glance he guessed this was supposed to be a semi-outdoor setting. He didn’t know how exactly Turkey looked back then, but he figured this was as close to what Hollywood set designers could come up with.

Finally, he saw Harry standing with the rest of the extras, apparently whispering something to one of them and causing them to giggle.

Louis felt a frown on his face, and he didn’t know why. He took his place at the edge of the scene, ready for James’ call. He smiled to the two men who would be walking next to him and shook their hands as he introduced himself. The actors used for his generals would just be from a rotating pool of extras, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to be friendly with whoever was fished out for the scene that day.

“Alright gentlemen,” James yelled into his megaphone. “Ready on my cue.”

One of the crewman walked up to the camera and snapped the clapperboard as they all heard “Action!”

Louis walked towards the line of men, listening to what his other general was saying.

 _“These are the men selected for their educations in Italy, your highness,”_  he said.  _“We thought this would be a good time to show them to you.”_

 _“You did well,”_  Louis replied, walking down the aisle, aware that the camera was rolling closer to him. He continued to walk until he reached Harry’s position, making a point to drag his eyes up along his body until he met his eyes. He felt his breath hitch as he gazed into them, almost repeating their first meeting. The softness of his eyes just took his breath away, and he almost forgot his next line. Luckily his brain was able to save him in time.  _“And who might you be?”_

 _“My name is Antinous,”_ Harry replied, a shy look on his face as his eyes cast down at his feet.

 _“Antinous,”_  Louis repeated.  _“What a beautiful name. Since you are to study the greatest of literature when you head to Italy, tell me, what are your thoughts on Homer?”_

He liked that note the writers put in. Especially with what it reveals in their dialogue. 

 _“Exemplary. His writings are some of my favorites. One of my favorite pieces has to be the Iliad,”_ he said easily, eyes still cast down. Luckily, Louis' hands were together behind his back, resisting the urge to tilt his head up so he can see those eyes he already missed gazing at. 

 _“The Iliad?”_  Louis asked in surprise.  _“How so?”_

_“The importance of divine intervention was the most fascinating part to me, but I must admit I greatly admire Achilles, your highness. A great warrior, and a mighty hero. But what I most respect is the love he shared with Patroclus. His love for him was unwavering.”_

It was. Damn any historians who say otherwise. Once Patroclus was killed by Hector, Achilles went through a furious rage and killed him, dragging his corpse along the streets and denying him the proper burial rites. Even if Homer didn't explicitly state that they were lovers, the fact that Achilles grieved over Patroclus as if he was his widow said everything about the nature of their relationship.

 _“Do you think the way he treated Hector’s body was excused then?”_ he asked, smiling slightly as he knew what the answer would be.

Finally, Harry’s eyes traveled up until they met his own _. “If someone were to kill the love of my life that way, I would grieve just as hard, your majesty.”_

It was funny, because if Louis had been asked that same question, he would answer the same as Harry's character. And something told him Harry would do the same.

Louis held the glance for as long as he could in silence. He just wanted to appreciate how Harry managed to look humble, thrilled, and delicious just in one facial expression. _“I see,”_  Louis said with a smile before turning back to his general.  _“Well then, I think I’ve seen enough. I look forward to seeing you all when I go to back to Rome.”_

He made a special nod to Harry before turning on his heel and heading towards the exit, his generals following close behind.

“And cut!” James yelled. “Marvelous yet again! The delivery on both of you was magnificent. If I could just have such wonderful actors like this on all my projects, I could die a happy man,” he said before running off to see what the camera crew needed for the next set up. Thankfully, Louis and Harry were done for the day and could go change out of their costumes. 

Louis smiled as his eyes met Harry, who was looking relieved as he walked towards him once the rest of the extras started clearing out.

“Do you really think it was that good?” he whispered, eyes a bit wide.

Louis nodded before replying. “I think you did spectacular, Harry. Nothing to worry about.”

“Good,” Harry said with a quick breath. “Meet you by my trailer after?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, love,” Louis said happily as he nodded towards the doors.

***

Harry was called back to do some extra lines as Louis walked away, so he was late to taking off his costume. That meant he didn't see Louis in the wardrobe department as he usually did when their day was over, making his heart twinge a bit at the thought of it. He always found himself nervous after their scenes, and somehow Louis was always able to calm him with his words afterwards. But not having his Louis fix clearly affected him in a bad way, especially knowing what he wanted to talk to him about once he finally saw him.

He quickly changed out of his outfit, donning one of the many robes they were offered to walk back to their trailer. He walked out wearing a plush, white one, hurrying in his pace as he didn't want to keep Louis waiting. The sun was beginning to set as he walked out, a purple sky gracing over his head as it signaled the early dusk. Harry gnawed at his lip as he realized how dark it could get soon. He needed to talk to him before that happened.

He was actually thinking of it all last night, when the idea occurred to him while he showered, mid shampooing. It seemed logical for them to do it beforehand, but he needed Louis' approval on the matter. 

As he finally reached the lot, Harry found his costar smoking a cigarette in front of his trailer, his back leaning on the cold metal as he took another drag. He wasn't wearing his own robe, so he must have had time to change in his trailer. Was Harry really that late? He hopes he wasn't waiting for too long. 

“Louis!” he called out, hurrying over as the slap of his matching white slippers filled the air. 

“Finally showing up, Styles,” he smirked as he saw the younger man approach. “Done for the day?”

“I’d say,” he said with a laugh. “I think I’m going to pass out as soon as I hit the mattress tonight.”

“You and me both,” Louis hummed as he leaned his head back on the trailer, closing his eyes.

Harry was about to say something, but there was something mesmerizing about how beautiful his neck looked in the glow of the evening light. He noticed Louis' beard grew pretty quickly, and there was already a sign of a golden stubble along the lower half of his face. He didn’t know if this was going to help his suggestion or not.

“So um-“ Harry began as he licked his lips. “I’ve been thinking.” He paused as he continued to look on, not really able to look away from his beauty.

“Go on,” Louis said easily, turning to face him as he took another puff of his cigarette.

Harry regained his composure, taking a deep breath. “I think we need to practice our kissing.”

He watched as Louis began a coughing fit, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and coughing against his fist. Harry panicked and leaned over, about to slap his back when Louis’ hand caught his wrist midair.

“No,” the older man wheezed, still looking as if he needed some room to breathe. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked, not bothering to hide the concern in his voice.

“Perfect. Truly.” he said once he got his breath back. “But our kissing? Why?”

Harry began worrying his lower lip again, his hands feeling a bit clammy. Was it wrong to bring this up? Was he overstepping his boundaries? Well it wasn’t really illogical why he thought of this, but maybe Louis wouldn’t think so? So many questions danced in his head before he shook them away and realized he really needed to explain himself.

“Next week, we have to film the scene where Hadrian first kisses Antinous. It might look awkward if that’s the first time we do it?” he offered.

“Oh,” Louis breathed out. He had a point. James had been saying all week that their chemistry was unmistakable. If they kissed for the first time on set, it would clearly show. And the last thing he wanted to look like on camera was inexperienced. “I hadn’t really thought about that..." he trailed off. “But I agree with you. I don’t want it to look awkward on camera.”

“Right,” Harry said, his eyes shifting away. “So how do you-“

Instead of talking about it more, Louis reached out to cup his cheek, bringing Harry closer until their lips met. And he’s pretty sure he heard angels singing in his ears as his mind short-circuited. He couldn’t believe how amazing their lips felt as they slotted together. It felt like kissing the petals of a fresh sunflower, still warm from the sun's rays. He also tasted the smoke on Louis’ lips as they continued to kiss, surprisingly finding it to his liking.

Harry didn’t even realize he had stepped closer to him, pressing his body against his. They were still gently kissing, but Louis' hand had traveled down from his face and was now resting on his hip, rubbing circles against the plush of his robe. Harry wouldn't be opposed if his hands journeyed under it. But it was short lived, because Louis was the first to pull away.

“There,” Louis breathed out as he gave Harry's hip a squeeze before letting go, swallowing in the process. “Happy now?”

Harry nodded, trying to catch his breath. “Glad we got that out of the way.” He noticed the light dusting of pink across Louis' cheeks, wondering if his own looked the same.

“Get it!” a man shouted from afar, both of them turning to see one of the extras running away towards the studio.

“Well that will get people talking,” Louis muttered as he stubbed out his cigarette.

Harry started to panic. Was Louis annoyed because he had to kiss him? “Oh sorry," he mumbled, his face growing hot, "I didn’t mean-“

Louis pressed a finger to the younger man’s lips, a small smile playing on his face. Harry blinked back at him.

“Did you not remember what I told you last week, Styles? We’re expected to be this way. Kissing after shoots by your trailer,” he nodded towards the “STYLES” sign over the door, “all the typical stuff associated with new lovers. So whether or not you planned this to look like that, James and company will be more than pleased with it. Besides, it looks like we’re  _very_  committed to keeping up this farce.”

“Right,” Harry nodded. “Committed.” He couldn't ignore the bitterness he felt at the back of his tongue once he heard Louis say the last part of the sentence, no matter how true it was.

***

Once Louis arrived at his hotel room that night, he took a cold shower as fast as he could. The heat that was radiating off his skin was too much to bare, hoping to scratch it away with the cold soap. He felt like he was on fire once he left Harry outside his trailer, his body burning in the afterglow. 

He knew he tried, and succeeded, at acting as if the kiss hadn't affected him, but he was just as a mess as when Harry first brought it up. Hours later and the air was still trying to fill his lungs. 

And even though he had told Harry he was okay, he was  _not_ okay. He had been fantasizing about kissing those lips for far too long to have it suddenly realized in front of him with barely any warning. And he wasn’t even _supposed_  to be thinking of Harry in that way. But he thought it was just a simple fantasy that came with having a handsome co-star, and he wanted to know if there was side effect of not being able to stop.

As any normal man would, or maybe a masochist in his way, Louis sought to have more reasons to enjoy those soft kisses Harry gave him, and need to think of a brilliant idea to do so, as long as Harry was on board.

A few days later, they were talking in between some scenes, both still in costume, when Louis noticed some cast members looking at them. Even though he knew he was supposed to be dating Harry in a way, he quickly forgot about that whenever they interacted. He genuinely wanted to be around him, and it was really just a bonus for their arrangement that people would assume that meant there was something between them. And that’s when it hit him.

“Eyes,” he whispered, turning his head towards Harry.

He blinked back at him with a frown. “Eyes?”

Louis gently tilted his head in the direction of the crowd. “I think you should kiss me whenever I say that. It means we have eyes on us and we might as well give them something to look at. Make this… arrangement more believable. Have them spread rumors.”

Harry found himself nodding as he heard more. With no hesitation, he stepped close enough for Louis to smell his cologne, and gently pecked his lips. This time Harry brought a hand up to cup his cheek, his thumb rubbing against his soft skin as they kissed. But as quickly as it came, Harry pulled away.

Louis opened his eyes to meet those gorgeous green ones, pupils already a bit dilated.

“Like that?” Harry asked in a soft whisper.

Louis licked his lips before swallowing. “Just like that.”

“Did it work?”

Louis almost chuckled, because his plan sure as hell worked. For days he had been dying to feel those lips on him again, and now he got his wish.

“It worked,” he smiled.

“How do you know?” Harry asked, a smile playing on his lips. “You haven’t even seen the crowds reaction.”

Oh. The crowd. That’s right.

Louis discreetly tried to look behind him and saw exactly what he thought he would find. Cast members were whispering to each other as he looked on, a few giggles here and there. It was the perfect plan.

The rest of their filming together could not have gone better as the days went by. Louis enjoyed Harry’s presence on set, always talking with each other in between takes, and he looked forward to making Harry giggle like an idiot as James eyed them.

They even had lunches together, going to the cafeteria everyday as they walked side by side, usually in deep conversation over their random topic of the day.

Today, Harry was telling him of the research he was doing on the terms of endearment they had in Ancient Rome.

“And that’s what got me thinking,” Harry said as he poured the dressing over his salad, “maybe we could have those types of names for Hadrian and Antinous?”

Louis tilted his head a bit as he thought it over. “You mean call each other those names in character?”

Harry nodded. “I can’t find any evidence for their actual nicknames, but I feel like they would have had some. All the writings say they had a very deep love for each other.”

“Their deepest love?” Louis said as he bit into a chip. “I think that would entail sappy names. So what did you have in mind?”

“Well,” Harry said, clearing his throat. “Dulcissimus for Hadrian.”

“Dulcissimus?” Louis repeated as the foreign word rolled off his tongue. “What does that mean?”

“The sweet one.”

“You think Hadrian would be the sweet one?”

“If he looks like you,” Harry said, meeting his eyes, “he definitely is.”

A light blush fanned his cheeks as he blinked back at Harry.

“Oh,” he breathed. He’d never really been called sweet before. Sweetheart? Many times. But those were usually older women appreciating him for his kindness. He never had a man call him that, and Harry wasn’t even a lover.

“So what would your erm- Antinous’ name be?”

“Carissimius.”

“And what does that mean?” he asked softly.

“My dear, my love.”

That was perfect for him.

“Fitting,” Louis whispered. “I-“

“Hello, lads!” a voice came from behind. They both turned to see Fionn walking towards them.

“Hello, Fionn!” Harry coughed as Louis’ smile faltered.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” he said as he looked between them, turning to face Harry. Fionn was one of the extras of the film, who had already made friends with Harry. Louis wasn't particularly fond of him, but he didn't need to show it. “I just wanted to invite you to this boat trip some of the lads are making this weekend in Malibu?” he looked over at Louis, who already had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair and a foot extended out underneath the table, catching Harry’s ankle by surprise. “You can come too, if you like, Mr. Tomlinson.”

Louis tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes in response. It was obvious that Harry got along with almost everyone on set; even the janitors were no match for his charm. It’s not like Louis was unfriendly, but he tended to be more reserved in comparison to Harry. Sometimes he didn’t have the energy to go befriend everyone like Harry could, but he certainly didn’t need some pity invite to go on a boat.

He was about to reply when suddenly the bell rang for filming to start again, and they found themselves packing up their lunches to save for later.

“Sorry to bail on you, Fionn. But we have to get going!” Louis smiled as he took Harry’s hand and led him towards the door.

"I'll talk to you later!" Harry called out to Fionn as he walked away.

Louis wanted to ask him if he would accept the invitation, or even want Louis to do the same if he did, but he had to turn as his name was being shouted.

“Mr. Tomlinson?” a crew member called out into the crowd as they were heading back inside. “You have a phone call!”

“It’s probably Niall,” Louis groaned. He turned back to face Harry. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

After seeing Harry nod, he rushed away with the crew member, hoping to catch whoever was calling him before they hung up.

***

Harry knew Louis would probably have a long call, and not wanting to wait around, he decided to go read more of his lines for an upcoming scene. He walked over to his own green chair, eyeing the rumbled script that was on the seat.

He tried to concentrate as he read through his parts again, leafing through the pages with one hand, but their earlier conversation was still at the back of his mind. Did Louis like the fact he chose nicknames for their characters? Would it be too forward to ask James to include them in the script? It’s not as if the film was going for historical accuracy, but it would feel a bit more authentic to give the lovers names for each other. At least Louis didn’t think his idea was stupid, which was what he feared the most. He noticed how soft the older man’s voice got when Harry mentioned the names, and how he blushed when he said the translation. Usually Louis was the one making him blush, so it sent a thrill through him when  _he_ would be the one to turn his cheeks pink.

He looked down at the script and realized he had been writing all over it while he was thinking. Somehow a pencil had gotten into his hand, probably rolled out of the script at some point, and he found various doddles near Louis’ lines.

“Dulcissimus” in one margin, with tiny hearts around it.

His heart pounded. “How did I-“

“Harry!”

He glanced up to see Louis rushing towards him, and quickly flipping the script closed, hoping he would never see what he subconsciously wrote.

“Sorry-“ Louis said as he placed his hands on his knees, bending over to catch his breath. “I wanted to tell you what Niall just called about. We have an outing tomorrow," he smiled. "A more official one.”

Harry hopped out of the seat, already intrigued. “Where?”

“We’re going to the premiere of Roman Holiday,” he breathed out. “You know that new film with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck? Zayn and Liam are going to attend as well. We'll arrive on the red carpet, make sure we're seen, and sit next to each other in the theater. Create all that gossip for the press.”

“Oh!” Harry smiled. Even if she is a new actress to the screen, Harry already knew Audrey was going to dazzle her audiences like she did on Broadway. Her performance in Gigi had awed him, even after seeing it five times with his friends and getting to meet her during some after parties. She was a treasure, and hopefully would still remember him when they met. “It would be nice to see her again. But we won’t be bothering Zayn and Liam? I've only met them once and I wouldn't want to disturb them on a night out.”

Louis shook his head. “Zayn phoned me the other day and said they both like you a lot and look forward to spending more time with the both of us,” he laughed. "And I think Liam might like you more than me at this point."

"I highly doubt that," Harry giggled. "But I feel better already."

Louis nodded, stepping closer towards Harry and lowering his voice while a smirk played on his lips. “So you’re going to look all nice for our first official date then?”

Harry felt his cheeks flushing at the words. “I’ll put on my best suit,” he answered softly.

“Good,” Louis said, and without warning leaned over and pressed a hard kiss to his cheek.

Harry was sure he felt himself stop breathing, the other man’s lips feeling like a hot spark against his skin. He had to stop himself from reaching up to touch the spot, wanting to feel if he really was burning.

“That alright?” Louis asked as he pulled back, his blue eyes looking clearer than ever. “There’s some people standing over there and I thought I’d give them something to look at. And Niall did tell us to create some gossip.”

Harry nodded quickly, throat a bit tight. “Yeah um- we talked about this. You can show me affection whenever.”

“You know you can do the same to me, you know?” the other man said. “Kiss, hug, hold my hand, whenever you want.”

Harry tried to hide a smile as he spoke. “You’re going to wish you never said that. I’ve been told I’m too clingy for my own good.”

“You can be as clingy as you want love,” Louis smiled softly. He got a quick glance at the crowd, who now seemed to be whispering amongst themselves. “So I’ll pick you up around seven then?”

“I’ll be ready by then,” Harry nodded. For the rest of the day, Harry felt his cheek tingle every time he remembered the kiss. Just for show, he told himself. Just for show.

***

Harry stood in front of the full length mirror, assessing himself one more time before going to meet Louis. He wore a classic black suit that hugged his body in all the right places.

“Especially my bum,” he noted as he turned around and glanced at his behind.

He fidgeted with his hair one more time, trying to make sure all the curls were going to cooperate tonight. He took a shower as soon as he got back to his hotel room, even having a quick wank to take the edge off. There had to be some form of relief from having a handsome actor be so intimate with him in public.

Now his curls had dried enough, forming almost perfect ringlets around his face. A call came telling him Louis was waiting for him, and rushed out, hoping he wasn't waiting for too long.

A limo was waiting out front, with a man giving him a slight bow as he approached.

“Mr. Styles? Mr. Tomlinson is inside waiting,” he said as he opened the door. Harry was quickly pulled in by an arm, and soon he found himself sitting very close to Louis, who was grinning at him as he looked him over.

“Wow, Styles,” he smirked as his eyes raked over him. “You do work a suit well.”

“Thank you,” he breathed as a blush fainted over his cheeks. "You don't look so bad yourself." Louis was wearing a fitted black suit as well, his thick thighs looking gorgeous against the fabric.

They rode in comfortable silence to the theater, still sitting next to each other even though there were more seats elsewhere around the car. But having Louis' warmth beside him kept him calm, and Louis didn't seem to mind to have him so close.

As the driver announced they were pulling up to the theater, Louis patted the younger man's thigh. "Now don't be nervous. The cameras are going to be pointed at other people besides us, and don't listen to any questions or comments they yell. Just stand pretty for a few minutes and then we'll be inside. Got it?"

Harry hadn't even told him how nervous he felt about this, how "official" it felt and whether or not they could pull it off, but Louis seemed to sense his fears easily. He truly was glad this was the person he ended up in a publicity relationship for, and it only made him wonder how much more considerate Louis could be to an actual boyfriend. 

"Got it," Harry smiled softly.

The door was opened for them, and Harry was the first to get out. After taking Louis' hand, they both turned to walk towards the mass of people, smiling to the cameras as the clicks of the lens filled their ears.

Harry was still a bit nervous about holding his hand for the first time like this, almost as if people could tell they were faking it for publicity and call them out on it. But as soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, they were met with grinning faces who just showered them with compliments.

_“Louis! Your boyfriend is so handsome!”_

_“An onscreen and off screen romance? Do tell us more, Mr. Tomlinson!”_

_"Did you know each other before filming?"_

_“Are you engaged yet?”_

Louis smiled as he tightened his grip on Harry's hand, the younger man feeling a little more secure with it. He was startled at the last question, not even thinking that people might guess the relationship was for a long term. If they were dating, he wouldn't think twice about beaming back at that photographer and answering "Not yet!" before kissing his boyfriend. But that wasn't the case in his instance. He wouldn't even be dating Louis a few months from now, and he couldn't ignore the sinking feeling he felt in his chest at the thought of that.

They passed by Audrey Hepburn standing for photos, her face brightening as she recognized Louis. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, eyes shining back at them. She looked very bit the regal movie star Harry knew she could be, and couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride seeing her shine on her opening night.

"Hello, darling!" She said as she kissed Louis’ cheek. "So happy you could make it!"

"It's a pleasure, love" he said warmly. "Allow me to introduce my boyfriend and fellow actor, Harry Styles."

She gasped as she saw his face. “Harry! What a pleasure to see you again!” she said as she rushed to hug him, the light scent of her perfume filling his nose. “I did hear a new actor was pulled from Broadway but I didn’t know it was you!”

“It was me,” he smiled as he squeezed her one more time before pulling away. “They whisked me here to Hollywood once you left.”

“Well I’m glad you’re here! And it’s nice to know Louis finally caught himself a man," she giggled with a nudge of her elbow.

Without hesitating, Louis leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Of course! and I only caught the best one," he chuckled as he pulled away. Harry was rendered speechless by the gesture, but smiled nonetheless, knowing his cheeks must be a bit red. 

"Well aren't you both adorable," Audrey cooed, "And meeting on set no less! I understand you're set to film some scenes in Rome as well? I had a lovely time with Greg there. The country is simply marvelous."

"Yes we are," Louis nodded, "We're going to film for a few weeks there."

"We leave at the end of January," Harry added. He remembers when Jeff told him they would be going, adding that their intimate scenes would be filmed there as well. He didn't want to panic about that yet, so he pushed that to the back of his mind. 

"That's wonderful! Well I would love to stay and chat some more," Audrey said as she heard her name being called. "But I have to get going. I’d love to have lunch with both of you when our schedules allow so we can catch up! And I hope you both enjoy the movie!" She quickly kissed them both goodbye before turning to leave.  

Luckily, their chat with her gave the photographers enough footage for their spectacle, and since Niall had told them they didn’t have to stop for any interviewers, so they made a bee line for the entrance once she left.

“You alright?” Louis asked as he let go of his hand.

Harry felt his stomach drop a bit at the loss of his grip, but he just shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t know you knew Audrey already? I met her a few months ago while she was touring Paramount.”

“I do,” Harry nodded. “She did theater in New York and we ran in the same circles most of the time. Always been a sweet girl, and it’s nice to know fame hasn’t changer her.”

“Sometimes it’s rare to find that,” Louis said with a sigh. “We should take up her offer to have lunch one day then, especially so you two can catch up. But for now, let’s go to our seats?”

They climbed the stairs until the usher directed them to their seats with the other celebrities. Liam and Zayn were already there, happily chatting with a few others in their row as Liam was lighting a cigar for his husband.

“You both look fancy.” Liam remarked as Harry shuffled into their seats with Louis behind him.

“Thank you,” Harry grinned. He took his seat next to him as Louis sat on his other side. 

"I don't believe you've met Ms. Wood, Harry," Zayn said, pointing to small woman in a cream dress sitting next to him, leaning back so they could see each other. "Natalie, this is Harry Styles."

"Hello, Mr. Styles!" She greeted cheerfully, extended her hand to shake. "Zayn was just telling me you're in your first film?"

"Hello, Ms. Wood. A pleasure," he said warmly. "I actually am, along with Mr. Tomlinson here," he nodded towards his date. 

"Oh really?" She gasped with a smile. "How exciting. Do let me know when your film premieres so I can go!"

"More than happy to, love," Louis grinned as he put his arm around Harry's shoulders. 

They stayed like that throughout the rest of the film, watching as Audrey played an escaped Princess and Greg the journalist she meets along the way. There were various scenes with the iconic Italian backdrop, and Harry wondered if he would be able to go site seeing while he was there. Maybe even convince Louis to come along to keep him company. 

The film received a standing ovation at the end, and the cast went to the stage to give some bows and give a few interviews for the press. Once it was over, they all hurried to the lobby, eager to find where to go next. 

“Should we go for drinks?” Zayn suggested as they made their way outside. “We can go to The Polo Lounge. Then we just have to drive Harry back to his hotel afterwards.”

Louis shrugged. Going to the famous lounge in his own hotel wouldn't be a bad idea. “Up for it, Harold?” he asked as Harry finally settled by his side.

“Up for it,” he smiled back, and they followed the rest of the men as they walked to the street and called a car.

They pulled up to the hotel, already bustling with people walking in and out from the main lobby, the elegant staircase greeting them. Louis nodded to the concierge and lead them all into the restaurant. The live band was in full swing, playing one of Dean Martin’s latest hits.

“So how was your first outing as a couple?” Liam said as they took their seats at a booth.

Louis looked over at his pretend partner, putting his arm around his shoulders. “I think it went pretty well! Don’t you, Styles?”

“I don’t mind pretending to be your boyfriend,” Harry replied with a grin.

“I think you both sold it wonderfully,” Zayn said “Hedda Hopper is going to eat this up.”

“Is she here?” Louis asked with his eyebrows raised. “I prefer Lolly getting our scoop over her.”

“Why?” Harry asked, trying to look around the room to see if he could spot her. He had heard of the infamous gossip columnists that were the two women, but he didn’t think he’d get to see them so quick in his time here.

“Hedda helps spread gossip around Hollywood just as well as her rival, Louella Parsons, whether it was true or not,” Louis explained. “So tabloid wise, it doesn’t matter who gets what. But if I had to choose between them, I’d gladly choose Lolly. Especially since Hedda tried to spread rumors of me sleeping with women early on in my career.”

Harry gasped. “She didn’t!”

“She did,” Louis sighed. “But I’m not one to hold grudges. I just don’t forget those who have wronged me in the past. Makes it easier to avoid them in the future.”

As he looked him over, Harry could only imagine how Louis must have felt as a young actor in Hollywood. Sure, he had Mr. Corden looking out for him in some cases, but it couldn’t have been much help when it came to tabloids.

“One of my mates said she would be,” Liam said as he took a puff from his cigar. Suddenly the trumpets started to blare a familiar tune, which made him turn to Zayn. “This is our song! Dance with me?”

“As if I could ever refuse,” Zayn answered before leaning over to kiss his cheek and dragging him to the dancefloor.

“Do you want to dance too, Styles?” Louis asked as he watched them leave.

“I’m not really a dancer,” he replied, still watching the dancefloor as couples started to gather. Everyone had someone to sway along with, holding their partner close to them. How he longed for that.

“It could help us sell this relationship more,” Louis offered. “Besides, you’ve been on Broadway, you’ve got to know to dance in some way.”

He must have noticed he was staring out into the dance floor, hoping he could be one of them. This was his chance. Harry slowly nodded. “Okay. But you lead? I’ve never danced to this before.”

Louis held his hand out for him to take. “I’ve got you. Just trust me.” As if he could ever not, Harry put his hand in his.

As he led them to the dancefloor, the familiar chorus started to pick up again.

_“When Marimba Rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway,”_

Louis placed his hand on Harry’s waist, pulling him in close as he started to sway them both to the rhythm.

_“Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close, sway me more,”_

Harry loved how close they were, close enough to smell how strong his cologne was near his neck. He loved the way Louis smelled on a daily basis, whether he was wearing his favorite cologne or not, but the strong scent still filled his nostrils and gave him a high. He was practically floating in his arms.

_“Other dancers may be on the floor, dear, but my eyes will see only you”_

He looked down and saw what Louis feet started to do, one foot stepping back and forth to the beat, and eventually his own feet started to mirror his. Eventually they landed in sync, Louis grinning at him in approval as he saw how quickly he was able to learn.

_“Make me thrill as only you know how, sway me smooth, sway me now.”_

As soon as the trumpets took over, Harry suddenly felt himself being twirled as they still danced to the beat. He looked down to see how Louis’ hips were moving and did his best to mimic them. Louis brought a hand down to waist again, and once again pulled him closer, chest to chest.

Harry felt his blood pounding in his ears, and he was pretty sure Louis could hear it as well. Suddenly he couldn’t hear the music, and his only focus was on how gorgeous Louis looked in front of him, so close to his face. His blue eyes were clear as day, even in the low light of the club. His eyelashes were perfection, and he desperately wanted to kiss each one. In a platonic way, if possible. He just wanted to kiss him in any way he could.

“Eyes,” Louis whispered, looking at him through heavy eye lids, and with one final glance at his eyes, leaned over and kissed him, still swaying to the song. Harry felt the relief leaving his body, becoming pliant in his arms. He was pretty sure he would have dropped right there in the middle of the dancefloor had it not been for Louis holding him so tight.

He felt Louis pull back, the warm air from his lips hitting his own. His ears started to work again.

_“Sway me smooth, sway me now”_

He was breathing heavy as he slightly pulled away from Louis, hoping to give them both more air to breathe. Around them the couples had stopped dancing and applauded the band as they took their bows. With shy smiles they quickly joined in and started to walk back to their seats.

“So I can see you two had fun,” Zayn smirked once they arrived back at their table.

“Yeah um-“ Louis said as he looked over to Harry. “We just need to sell this relationship well, that’s all. Might as well go dancing since you two left us.”

“Well you sure have sold it,” Liam said as he took a sip of a margarita. “As Zayn and I were heading back to our seats, we heard a group of people by the bar talking you two.”

 _“I can’t believe Mr. Tomlinson is finally dating someone,”_  Zayn parroted in a high voice, Liam giggling as he did.

“Like I told you, curly,” Louis said as he leaned over to peck his cheek. “We sold it.”

“I guess we did,” he replied with a soft smile, a dimple almost appearing in one cheek. He loved how they danced out there, truly acting as if they were a couple. Louis held him so tenderly and close, and all it made him think about was how lucky his actual partner would be if this was him pretending. For now, he was happy enough to be simply getting a glimpse of it and being on the receiving end. His thoughts were interrupted as Louis coughed beside him and started to get up from the table.  

“If you excuse me I need to use the restroom,” the other man said as he downed the rest of his glass. “Order me another?” he asked sweetly towards Harry, who simply nodded and watched him walk away, possibly staring at his bum for a little too long. 

***

Louis hurried away, finally finding the hallway that led to the men’s room. As he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror under the low lights, he took a deep breath as he tried to focus on what happened tonight. He didn’t mean to kiss Harry on the red carpet or dance floor, since there were more than enough ways to push a relationship without having to get that physical, and it’s not like there were people watching his every move, but… something came over him. He wanted to claim Harry as his in front of everyone, as if dancing with him so close wasn’t enough.

“You just want to make this more believable,” he said to his reflection, running his hands under the faucet as he carefully washed them. “That’s all it is.”

Self-reassurance wasn’t his usual thing, but he needed it right now. He had to rationalize why he wanted to feel Harry’s lips on his so bad. He had to.

On his way back, he decided he would be more careful with what liberties he took in public. He didn’t want Harry to become uncomfortable. That was the last thing he wanted out of all of this. Because Harry didn’t seem uncomfortable, and always told him he was fine. So was it really something he could see at a deterrent to their intimacy? Before he could worry himself more, he heard a familiar chuckle near him and turned to find it.

“My, you look good.”

Louis looked around, squinting his eyes a bit into the dimly lit hallway, still not seeing the person he was looking for. “Tom?”

“Hi, Lou,” he said easily, walking out from the shadows. Louis blinked as he stared at him, jaw slightly hanging. He hadn’t really had a passing thought about Tom since, well, their last encounter. He was too busy with the movie and being with Harry that it never even occurred to him to see him, even though he had promised to call.

“What are you doing here?”

“Not even a hello?” he chuckled. “Your manners  _are_  changing.”

Louis frowned, not liking where this was going. “Hello? Do you need something?”

“Is that all I get after not hearing about you for weeks?”

Oh, that’s what this was about. He had completely forgotten to call him, if he had to be honest. Once the movie started, his private life was meant to be spent with Harry, and he didn’t want anything to really damage that.

“I’ve been busy,” he said with a sigh. “I told you that morning I was going to start a film.”

“I’ve heard about your film,” Tom replied. “Some historical one isn’t it? That doesn’t mean you haven’t had time to call me.”

“I come back from the studio tired, and if you haven’t noticed, my evenings are spent promoting this film as well. They have me dating my co-star, and we’re actually on an outing right now.”

Tom stayed silent for a moment as he stepped closer towards him, a little too close in his personal space, almost uncomfortable to a point. “Are you sleeping with him then? Is that why you haven’t called me?”

“No I-” he was cut off as he saw someone appear in his peripheral.

“Louis where-“ Harry stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell on them. “Oh, sorry. I-um,” he looked around, trying to focus on anything but them. “Zayn wanted to ask you something and we didn’t know where you were so um-” he looked down the hallway as a couple emerged from one of the rooms, giggling and whispering to each other. He took a deep breath. “Just be discreet, yeah? Can’t have the press…” he trailed off as swallowed. “You know. I’ll see you later, Louis.”

And before Louis could say anything, he turned around and practically ran down the hallway until he was back in the lounge.

“Fuck,” Louis whispered softly.

***

Harry rushed away before Louis could respond properly, the dread settling into his stomach. His heart was pounding, and he didn’t even know why. He just knew he had to get away, and quickly. He walked back to their table and softly sat down, almost as if he didn’t want to make a sound.

“Where’s Louis?” Zayn said as he looked around. “I thought you were going to get him?”

“I think he um-“ he nodded toward the rooms. “I think he’s spending the night here. With someone.”

Zayn frowned as Liam’s lips formed an "o" shape.

“With someone?”

“Do you know who?”

Harry shrugged. “I’ve never really seen him before. Dark, black hair that’s combed back. About his height.”

“Tom Florence?”

“That his name?” Harry murmured as he looked back, remembering the piece of paper he found in Louis’ coat pocket which only made him frown harder. At least he knew who Tom was now. “Who is he?”

“He works for a magazine as a photographer, I think,” Zayn said. “He’s not his boyfriend or anything like that. He’s…” he trailed off as he looked at his husband.

“His current hook up.” Liam finished for him.

“That works, too,” Zayn huffed.

Even  _worse_.

“I think I’m going to be heading back to my hotel now. There’s no sense in um- waiting for him. He's staying here after all, and we already took the pictures,” he said as he looked around, a small hope Louis would come back.

“I’ll go call a car for you,” Liam said before walking away.

Zayn was still frowning, watching Harry’s facial expression carefully.

“Are you okay, Harry?”

“Yeah I’m-I’m fine,” he said as he glanced around the room one more time before looking back at his drink. “I’ve never been in one these ‘relationships’ before. It’s just strange.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Zayn said softly. “It’s just for a few more months and then you’ll be free.”

But did he want to be?

“Yeah,” he downed the rest of the shot, “free.”

He spent the car ride trying to tackle his emotions and figure out why he even felt like this in the first place. Why was it affecting his mood? It’s not like Louis was actually his boyfriend. He is, technically, allowed to be with others. But there was still something that annoyed Harry to the core. It couldn’t be jealousy. Was it the fact he would be so careless about it? He knows that one of the main Hollywood gossip columnists was there, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that she could have seen Louis and Tom heading back to the rooms.

Careless, Harry thought. That’s what it is. They’re putting all this work into make their romance believable and Louis would just throw it all away for another man. It wasn’t jealousy. It was just anger over his carelessness. That’s it.

That’s all he repeated to himself for the remainder of the night, whispering it a little harder once he felt a tear drop on his pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been reading since the beginning, I'm sorry akjhaha life has been super busy and I have to prioritize some other fics. But this new chapter is a little bit longer than the others and was fun to write, so I hope you enjoy!

If there was a little person in his head that could continuously slap his brain, Louis wished it was doing just that. He deserved a good mind slap.

Louis didn't know why he didn’t just run after Harry last night and explain everything then and there (because he knew exactly what that scene looked like), but now it was his biggest regret. As if his body knew Harry wouldn't understand, he just stayed behind as he left, staring until he turned the corner. He doesn't even remember saying anything else to Tom, but by the time he made his way back to the bar to look for Harry, Zayn and Liam told him that he'd left.

Harry probably thought the worst of him, even if being with another man didn't really make him a bad guy, but the sinking feeling in his stomach hadn't stopped dropping since he watched Harry walk away. From the way his tone changed, to the look in his eyes, to the way his entire expression fell, all it brought was nausea as he remembered. Almost as if he could see the image Harry had of him crumbling before him.

The last thing he wanted, besides making him uncomfortable, was Harry having a horrible opinion of him. And he planned to rectify that as soon as he could.

It was all he could think about as he rushed to dress in the morning, ate his breakfast that was brought up by a staff member, and as he sped down the streets in his car. Talking to Harry was the most important task to check off, no matter what happened. 

Once he arrived at Paramount, he practically dashed around the set looking him, hoping to get at least a few seconds to talk before they had to start filming.

He finally spotted him near one of the dressing rooms, already in his toga costume, a more modest outfit than the one he wore for the Turkish scenes. But now he wore a golden laurel in his hair, glistening against his tan curls. He looked breathtaking as he stood there, hand oh his waist as he engaged in conversation. 

The younger man was speaking with a blonde fellow Louis recognized as an extra, sharing a scene with him a few days ago.  

“Styles!” he called out, feeling himself frown at how close Harry was with the other man. “Can I talk to you?”

The younger man blinked at him, a flash of surprise in his eyes leaving as quickly as it had come, before nodding and turning back to the man. “Just give me a ring, yeah? I’d love to go on that boat with the lads.”

The man smiled with a nod and walked away, barely sparing Louis a glance.

“So you wanted to talk to me?” Harry turned back to him, casually throwing a clementine up in the air. He hadn’t even noticed he was holding that.

“Yes I need to,” he breathed out. “About last night. Styles, what you saw there-”

“It’s fine, Louis,” he cut him off by holding his hand up, effectively shutting the older man up. “You have nothing to explain. I’m not going to keep you from your fun,” he said easily, looking down as he started to peel away the soft shell. “It’s not like we are  _actually_ dating. It just didn’t occur to me we could sleep around. You did nothing wrong.”

Then why did it feel so wrong even if he didn’t do anything bad? Before Louis could reply, they heard James screaming into his megaphone for people to get in their costumes.

“Hey Harry!” another man came up behind them, throwing an arm over Harry’s shoulders, taking him in the same direction he was headed. 

“But-”

“Bye Louis!” Harry called out.

Louis watched them walk away, sighing. This was going to be harder than he thought.

***

Their encounter still replayed in his mind as Louis walked over in his robe to costuming, and once he saw the outfit, he wanted to groan in pain. 

To make matters worse, today was their day to film their kissing scene. The first kiss between Hadrian and Antinous. The scene they had already practiced before, and even got some kissing in during their date, and it felt amazing and natural every time they did. But now everything felt off, and he knew that would bleed into their performance, and that made him just wanted to hide in his trailer all day. Or go back to his hotel room. Anything but... this. 

As he got ready to go to the set after he changed into his costume, expecting Harry to already be there, he ran into Thomas Hardy, already in a general's costume. He would have a few lines to read on screen with Louis after Harry's scenes would be filmed. 

"Hello there, Louis," Thomas smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Heading to set?" 

"Right now, actually," glancing down the hallway. He really had to find Harry and convince him to talk. 

"I'll join you, if you don't mind."

Well, he did want to spend his time looking for Harry, but he wouldn't mind the company. "Not at all," he answered. 

He heard Thomas start to say something, but his mind drifted off to the sets they walked by. They passed a few other actors, Louis secretly hoping he'd catch a glimpse of his co-star somewhere. But Harry wasn't near the sets, or where the set directors were, or even where the crew members would hang around on break. As if he was avoiding all the places Louis could merely pass by, evading even a small glance. 

"So are you going?" He heard beside him. Shit. He had just been pretending to listen to what he was saying the entire time. 

"Sorry, mate," Louis he smiled sheepishly. "I just remembered something I had to do. What were you asking?"

Thomas chuckled. "The boat trip those lads are planning this weekend. Are you going?"

Did everyone had to mention this godforsaken trip? It looked like all the men from the film were invited. “You’re going with them?” he asked. 

“Yeah I am,” Thomas said. “I heard that Harry fellow is going, and I can’t wait to wreck him.”

Louis blinked. He desperately wanted to have heard wrong. “You want to what now?”

“If he wants of course,” he said. “But he’s just gorgeous, and everyone knows that’s mainly what this trip is for. To blow off some steam from all the work we've been doing.”

No. No. No. That's not what Louis was thinking at all. Sure, he heard about trips like such before, but he didn't think  _this_  trip was going to be like the others. Did Harry even know what was going to happen? He only just arrived here, of course not. Shit. He had to let him know. And he had to prepare himself at the thought of Harry still wanting to go even after finding out.

"Is that so?" He answered casually. 

"Come on," Thomas laughed as he nudged him with his elbow. "You're not interested in going too? Some of the extras are really fit and," he looked around, "you didn't hear this from  _me_ , but two of them won't stop talking about how handsome you are and how they hope you'll go on the trip."

"That's flattering," he said, but as flattering as it was, he had no interested in casual sex with people he worked with. He didn't even accept the invitations when he first arrived to the movie industry, and he didn't feel like exploring what he was missing out on. The stories his past co-stars had told were enough, and he dreaded the thought of having to hear them from Harry now. 

Luckily, his call came up and saw his opportunity to leave and avoid this conversation. After a quick goodbye to Thomas, he hurried over to his set, and finally found the man he had been looking for. Harry was there, standing by a camera talking to James, clearly in deep conversation.

Not wanting to interrupt, he glanced around the set and took in the beauty, admiring the work the set designers had done. The set was decorated like a lush garden, green vines hanged everywhere, a bed of flowers surrounding the various benches around the open area. Since it was to be set in the night, there were torches illuminating the makeshift garden, and Harry's costume looked even more soft and breathtaking beneath the warm glow. It was the perfect place for a first kiss.

James waved him over, walking towards them as he saw Harry's smile vanish as he approached. His heart sank at the sight. 

"Hello, Louis," James greeted. "I was just explaining to Harry what we were going to do for this scene. Remember, it's the first kiss between Hadrian and Antinous. Louis, you're going to walk in and see Harry sitting in the garden. You approach him slowly, say your lines – the updated ones our writers gave you last week that you should have been practicing correct? - and then make sure you're facing this camera when you kiss. Sound good?" 

"Perfect," Louis replied, eyeing Harry, who simply nodded and walked away. They had been practicing the new lines, since they weren’t the exact same as the ones from their screen test, but now he feared this fight might affect how they portrayed it. Maybe Harry allowed animosity to bleed into a performance. Maybe it wouldn’t work out at all.  

With a sigh, Louis walked over to place himself by the entryway, and waited for James' signal. He watched Harry sitting on the bench, a flower in his hand as he carefully studied it. He looked like an angel, if Louis had to use one word to describe him . 

"Action!" 

The camera would be on Harry for a few seconds, catching the lines he would say.

 _"Why do I care for him, little flower?"_  he said aloud, twirling the stem between his fingers.  _"I am beneath him, and he could never care for someone like me."_  

 _Who wouldn't care for you_ , Louis wanted to say aloud. 

_"I saw him today, you know. I was walking to my studies, and he was with his generals. I cast my eyes down as expected of me, but my curiosity got the better of me and I looked up. But imagine my surprise when I saw him staring at me. Me of all people. I had to hurry away before I could embarrass myself."_

 Harry continued to speak to the flower, Louis mesmerized by how well his acting was coming through. 

 _"But, flower, why do I dream of him?"_  Harry asked.  _"Why are my thoughts filled with someone I could never have?"_  

The camera then panned behind him, catching Louis' look as he watched him from afar. 

With a sigh, Louis walked towards him, making sure the camera would see how he couldn't take his eyes off of him. 

 _"Antinous?"_  he spoke out, causing the younger man to jolt and stand, the panic in his eyes clear. 

 _"Your Grace!"_  he swallowed, fidgeting as he looked around.  _"I didn't know you would be here. I shall leave so to not disturb you."_  He turned to do so, but Louis took a few more steps and gently grabbed him by the elbow. 

 _"No,"_  he ordered.  _"I do not want you to go. If you have somewhere to be, I shall not keep you. But if you were just enjoying the moonlight, I would like to sit here with you."_

 _"Sit with me?"_  he repeated, his eyes wide. Louis couldn't help but feel endeared in his own chest. His own hand moved down his arm, lightly brushing his fingertips against Harry's skin until he reached his palm, carefully holding it with his fingertips. 

 _"Yes,"_  Louis said as he slowly sat down on the bench, pulling Harry with him. 

With hesitance, the younger man followed, still avoiding eye contact. Louis couldn't tell if it was part of his role of Antinous, or simply avoiding him yet again. He hoped it was the former. 

_"And why would you want to sit with someone like me?"_

_"Because you interest me,"_  he said. 

Harry shook his head.  _"How can I interest you?"_

_"Because I've never met someone as beautiful as you."_

Harry's eyes widened.  _"Do you mean it?"_  He turned away slightly.  _"But I see how other, much richer men look at you. They're much more beautiful than me."_

 _"No one can match your beauty. And I have no interest in them. I want you."_  

A blush appeared on the younger man's cheeks, staying silent as Louis moved closer, their thighs almost touching. 

 _"I listened to what you said earlier,"_  he said softly.  _"Do you really dream of me?"_  

Harry nodded slowly, his eyes finally meeting his.  _"I do. Every night."_

_"Can I kiss you?"_

Harry nodded again, and they both leaned forward until their lips met, and it felt just as electric as when they kissed the first time. It was chaste, but slow. Louis almost forgot the camera in front of them, bringing his hand up to caress his face.

Despite Harry refusing to talk to him, the kiss was sweetly inviting, and it felt like Harry was about to break out into a smile at any given moment. 

Louis pulled back after a few more seconds, still holding his cheek, their lips still close enough. The adoration in Harry's eyes made him want to cry. 

But as James yelled "cut!", Harry pulled away rather quickly, breaking any contact they had. His eyes turned cold again, and before the other man could say anything, he stood up and walked away without another word. 

Louis couldn't run after him, since they were due to film another scene, but he noticed how crew members stared at Harry as he walked away. They must have noted how they weren't as attached today, and he knew that would lead to rumors about their relationship. He had to find a solution to their problem, and he had to think it up quickly before it was too late. 

***

Since Harry was no where to be found during their lunch time, Louis was thankful Niall had decided to drop by instead. 

"Any reason for your visit?" Louis asked as he forked through his salad. 

"Zayn phoned me this morning," he answered, lifting the bread of his sandwich to inspect its contents, "telling me about what happened last night."

Louis let out a sigh. "I didn't know Tom would be there," he murmured. "I didn't even think of calling him since I started this publicity relationship, but he cornered me when I went to the restroom. And Harry ran off before I could explain anything." 

"Well," Niall coughed into his fist, "you know you don't have to remain faithful to it, right? Because this isn't an actual relationship. You're free to date privately, just as Harry is."

"That might be true," Louis conceded, "but it just seems wrong to continue to see someone if I'm dating someone in the public. And judging from Harry's reaction, he wasn't too pleased about it." 

"Zayn told me he looked hurt," he said. "And I don't know why he would get offended by it, but maybe Jeff didn't explain to him you both can have relationships as long as you keep it private and out of the public eye."

"Do you think he wants to date someone?" Louis thought aloud. Is that why he was angry?

Niall shrugged. "I don't know, mate. It could be he wants to date but was holding himself back because of what he was put in. Maybe you could explain it to him, once you get a chance." 

"Me? I'm supposed to tell him to go date others so he won't be mad at me anymore?"

"Louis," Niall blinked. "You  _are_  allowed. Have you not been listening?" 

 _But I don't want to date or see anyone,_  Louis wanted to say. But he knew Niall would try to find the reason he didn't want to, and he wasn't ready to answer a question he hadn't even considered answering himself. 

"Tell you what," Niall said as he cut through his thoughts. "If you find the chance, invite Harry to Palm Springs for the weekend. You can talk it out in peace there, and you both can come to our house for a dinner on Saturday night, since we've been meaning to invite you all for a relaxing evening. I'll convince Zayn and Liam to come for the weekend as well."

Louis actually liked the sound of that, especially getting to spend some private time with Harry, away from the cameras. And if Harry accepted, he'll miss the boat trip as well. Not that it was his job to protect Harry from such things, but going on a trip such as that one wouldn't be good for their public relationship either. 

"I think that's a splendid idea," Louis smiled. "Now I just have to corner him and make sure he listens to me." 

"I'll talk to James and take care of that," Niall smirked as he stole a tomato from his plate, "and your friendship will be back to normal in no time." 

Louis chuckled. He hoped so. 

***

The scene for the afternoon consisted of a meeting with Hadrian’s generals, and Antinous in their presence as well. Harry was to be standing off to the side while the meeting would go on, and then the generals would exit, leaving him alone with Louis as he went to sit at the table. As James called for the break, Louis knew it would be a particularly long break between these takes, so now was his chance to talk to him.

Louis cleared his throat, trying to get Harry’s attention. He was seated next to him while Louis was sitting at the head at the table, only meeting his eyes in the scene when it was necessary. It hurt that they hadn't been able to talk today, and even though there wasn’t much time to talk, they still found time on other days. A quip here and there, keeping themselves entertained between takes. But today, he knew Harry was purposefully avoiding interacting with him. And that needed to stop for both their sakes.

But Harry was already preparing to leave, trying to avoid his gaze and stand up. Luckily, James made his way over to them and put his arm around the younger actor.

"No no don't get up, Harry!" he said as he patted his back before firmly keeping a hand on his shoulder. "I need you to stay here while we set up for the rest of the scene." 

"But-"

"No buts! Just stay right here at this table and keep out of the way," he smiled before walking away. 

Louis tried not to laugh as Harry groaned, slumping in his seat like a disgruntled child. Now was his chance to at least have Harry listen to him.

"Styles? I need to tell you something, from what you said earlier. Actually, we shouldn’t.” Louis said steadily, playing with the scroll in front of him.

“Shouldn’t what?” Harry asked without looking up. Remarkable that he even answered. 

“Sleep around. With others." Hopefully Harry remembered what he had said to him in the morning. 

Harry frowned, picking at a loose thread in his costume. “Why?”

“It just-” he lowered his voice so the set assistant near them wouldn’t be able to hear. “It makes it easier to keep this charade up.”

He saw Harry grimace as he said the last line, wondering what that was about. 

“I didn’t sleep with him,” he murmured slowly, hoping Harry would hear him.

The younger man’s ears perked but kept any emotion from his face. He was an actor after all. “You didn’t?” he asked easily, not meeting his eyes.

“I didn’t. I didn’t even go into a room with him. I just went back to my own room once I couldn’t find you. Alone.”

Harry shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t, Louis. If someone had seen you together like I found you they might have gone to a gossip column and said you’re cheating on me or something. Hedda Hopper was there, for god’s sake!” he hissed, finally meeting his eyes. Louis had never seen them this way, almost no warmth to them. “I don’t care what you do, just be discreet if you want this sham to last.”

Louis could only groan internally. If he didn’t know better, Harry was a bit jealous.

“Look can we talk about this over dinner?” Louis asked. “I’m going to my home in Palm Springs for the weekend, so if you want,” he paused. “You can stay too. We’ll have a quite dinner at my place tomorrow, and on Saturday Niall is hosting a dinner party at his house. Zayn and Liam are going to their house there too, so they’ll be there along with Niall’s husband and daughter.”

“Daughter?” Harry questioned. “He’s married?”

Louis nodded. “Her name is Judy and she’s seven years old. Wonderful little girl that clearly takes after her parents. You’d love her. And Richard, his husband, is a wonderful man as well.”

“I guess…” Harry thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t be intruding?”

Louis shook his head, hoping this was convincing enough for Harry to accept. “Not at all. I have two guest rooms in the house, so there’s plenty of room for you. Niall half expects me to bring you to the dinner anyway.”

Harry continued to think in silence, leaving Louis in suspense. Was he going to agree? Was it really that hard of a decision to spend time with him? Or did he want to go on the boat trip and was trying to let him down easy? Then he remembered what started this entire disagreement. 

“It will just be you and me,” Louis said softly, almost as if he could read his now broken thoughts. “No one else to bother us.”

“Just us?” Harry’s eyebrows shifted up, as if he was waiting for confirmation.

“Just us,” he repeated. He eyed the group of boys that started to shout in the distance. “You’ll have to miss that boat trip you were invited to, though.” He held his breath waiting for his answer. 

“I guess I’ll be missing it then,” Harry said softly, a small smile on his face.

“Really?” his face lighting up. “You really want to go to Palm Springs with me then?”

“I don’t mind,” Harry said with a shrug. “I do like spending time with you. And I’d love to meet Niall’s family.”

Louis smiled softly in return. “I'll pick you up from your hotel tomorrow?”

The other man nodded, a wider smile on his face. "I'll have a bag ready for the weekend."  

And as they spent the rest of the day together, it was as if nothing was ever amiss.  

***

Harry had woken up yesterday morning with heavy eyes, tired from the crying he did. He was mad at himself for crying in the first place, really, but seeing Louis with someone else affected him in a way he didn't think possible. But now, everything was alright, even if they were waiting to talk more tonight. 

As the packed a few more things into his bag, he thought about how that conversation could go down. Louis did say they both shouldn't be seeing people, so did that mean he wasn't going to see Tom anymore? A small hope in his chest hoped so. After all, Louis was his boyfriend right now, even if it just was for publicity. As Louis had called it: a charade.  

 _Charade,_  Harry grumbled in his head once he heard Louis say it. He didn’t know why he wanted to spit on that word whenever someone brought it up and all its synonyms. But now he was going to Palm Springs with Louis, and that's all that mattered. He really wanted to accept when Louis first mentioned it, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind. What if he brought other men to the house? Would he have to be under the same roof as Louis shagging some other guy? But Louis reassured him almost as if he could read his thoughts, and he knew this would be a peaceful weekend. 

And he didn't mind missing the boat trip he was invited to. He didn’t actually want to go with Fionn or any of the others, but he couldn’t ignore the annoyed tone in which Louis reminded him, and it made him giggle.

On top of that, they were back to their usual banter today as they worked on their scenes, and it just felt right. 

The ring of the telephone broke through his thoughts, and he rushed to pick it up. “Hello?”

_“Mr. Styles? Mr. Tomlinson is in here in the lobby waiting for you.”_

He looked down at his suitcase, flipping quickly through the fabrics. He didn’t know what exactly to wear in Palm Springs, but he knew it was hot based on the travel books. Maybe his floral shirts wouldn’t be too bad.

“Thank you, miss. Tell him I’ll be right down,” he said before hanging up. 

As he made his way to the lobby, he tried not to smile too hard at the thought of spending the weekend alone in Palm Springs with Louis, even if it served for other purposes. Niall had already called a pap to photograph them getting into Louis’ car, probably to show how “domestic” they already were, driving to his secluded house away from Hollywood.

Louis greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, fully aware of the camera lenses clicking from the sidewalk.

“Ready to go, love?” he asked as he held the car door open for him. 

“As I’ll ever be,” he smiled, putting on his sunglasses.

The drive to Palm Springs was something he never thought he would experience, yet the most serene thing he had. The farther they got away from Los Angeles, the more it became apparent that they were living in the South West. The hot sun was baking the desert into a standstill, waves of heat visible wherever he looked. The top of the car was down for the entire trip, so his own long hair was kept off of his face in the wind. He looked around to see the sand that never seemed to end, no matter what direction he looked in. It reminded him of those old Westerns he would watch with his dad whenever he visited, and he half expected a cowboy to come riding up from the horizon.

He turned to see Louis smiling at him before turning back to face the road; a hand firmly on the wheel while his elbow leaned on the door. Harry should have turned back to see the gorgeous scenery, but seeing Louis’ profile against the hot desert background just… took his breath away. He finally dragged his eyes away before Louis realized what he was doing.

Eventually, Palm Springs came into view, and Harry found himself mentally snapping pictures of everything they drove past. They whizzed by cars that were leaving the town. They drove through the main street, Harry marveling at the bustling town it was. There were families walking around, pushing babies in their carriages as they laughed and ate ice cream. There were store fronts that were lively with people, and restaurants that served a variety of food. They passed by nightclubs that had yet to open, with Louis pointing out some clubs they would be frequenting soon.

“We’ll go there,” Louis nodded towards one named  _Chi Chi_. "I haven't been there in some time, but I heard it's still a good place for entertainment." 

“You don’t go to them on your own anymore?” Harry asked as tried to remember some of the signs with their names on it.

“I used to when I was younger,” Louis said as he turned onto another street, “but it kind of loses its appeal after a bit. It’s going to feel nice to go out again, though, especially with a date. Hope they haven’t changed much since I’ve last been.”

Harry thought for a moment. “I hate to be the one to tell you,” he said as he shook his head, “but things have vastly changed since then.”

Louis frowned as he continued to watch the road. “Really? Like what?”

“Well for one," he paused for dramatic effect, "they don’t call them speak easies anymore.”

“They don’t-“ Louis cut himself off before turning to find Harry staring back at him with a smug grin. “You’re a little shit!” he shouted as he pretended to hit him. “I’m about five years older than you and you treat me like I’m some dinosaur.”

“But you’re a very handsome dinosaur,” he giggled as he avoided his playful blows.

“Oh that makes me feel better,” Louis laughed before turning into one of the secluded driveways. “You’re fortunate we’ve arrived so I can’t push you out of the car.”

Harry placed a hand on his chest as he dramatically gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!”

Louis shook his head. “As if I could damage that pretty face.”

Harry felt a faint blush on his cheeks start to grow, but the house they were pulling up to quickly stole his attention.

The house had wide windows that took up the entire front wall, and thankfully some curtains were drawn to avoid any prying eyes. The rest was painted in an egg shell white, which contrasted some of the ember coloring of the ceiling slab that hung over the porch in an odd angle. Harry loved it already.

“Welcome to my humble home!” Louis grinned as he turned the engine off.

 _Humble._  It was gigantic, and very well designed. Harry had seen this type of design in one of the magazines about Palm Springs, so it must be a popular building type.

Louis handed him his luggage from the trunk and went to open the door, Harry still admiring the setting. 

“You can set your bags over there,” Louis nodded towards one of the beige couches sitting in the middle of his large living room. “I’ll show you to your room so you can get settled while I get dinner on.”

Harry followed him down a long hallway until Louis led him into a bedroom. There was a large queen bed at the center of the room, with a simple yet elegant white comforter covering it. He noticed a large burgundy knit blanket folded at the foot of the bed.

“Does it get cold here?” he asked as he set his bags down by a dresser.

“Some nights do,” Louis shrugged as he leaned against the door frame. “Wouldn’t want you to freeze your bum off at night, so feel free to use it.”

“Noted,” Harry said as he eyed the adjacent bathroom. “Mind if I take quick shower before I go help you in the kitchen? I’d like to get the travel grime off of me before going any further in this gorgeous house.”

“Go ahead,” he murmured before quickly looking at his wristwatch and started to step out of the room. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to start making our dinner.”

“What are we having?” Harry asked in a casual tone as he began to unbutton his shirt. He watched as Louis’ expression froze as he stared back at him, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Harry was about to frown, but realized he was basically baring his chest to him. Did Louis find him attractive in any way? He couldn’t possibly, thought to himself.

And Louis’ quick exit was enough to answer that question. Because all he could say was a curt “It’s a surprise,” before closing the door behind him.

Besides, Harry didn’t look anything like that Tom fellow, so Louis could ever think of him in that way.

***

As he walked back to the kitchen, Louis tried to regain his bearings as he rushed down the hallway. He didn’t mean to leave Harry so suddenly, but he had to leave before he embarrassed himself. Because as he watched every new inch of skin get revealed, he wanted nothing more than to lick strawberries off of that wonderful stomach. Or a stomach that resembled his. Didn’t have to be Harry. Because he wasn’t attracted to Harry. Not at all. There was no excuse to even think of Harry in that way to begin with.

Louis took the chicken out of the freezer, thankful that his housekeeper had stocked the fridge and cupboards as he instructed. He was just about to start cutting the vegetables when he heard the showerhead go off, and realized Harry was currently standing naked only a few doors down, the water just dripping down over that body of his.

This time Louis gave himself a gentle slap in the face, hoping it would wake him up from such thoughts.

“Harry is your publicity boyfriend and nothing more,” he whispered to himself. “Get it together.”

He eventually convinced himself it was probably due to seeing him nearly naked in those robes on set, and just his natural hormones getting to him. Who else wouldn’t be attracted to seeing him oiled up nearly every day and not be affected? He was a man after all. Just a man near another man. With nothing but mutual respect between them. 

Later, once Harry had come into the kitchen looking like a freshly bathed kitten, they made small talk while splitting up the cooking duties. Once the food was ready, they had a quiet dinner in the dining room, happily discussing how the film was going yet carefully avoiding the topic from earlier. Almost as if they would both rather forget about it.

“You don’t have to help me, curly,” Louis said later as he put the plates away while Harry was by the sink. “You are my guest after all.”

“Nonsense,” Harry murmured over his shoulder, scrubbing away at the leftover dishes. “It makes me feel less intrusive.”

 _You'd never be intrusive in my life,_  Louis wanted to say.

“Well since we’re done here,” Louis eyed the clock. “Join me for a cup of wine on the patio? I could really use a glass right now.”

Harry happily nodded before following him towards the patio, which was decorated simply with red striped seats and accent pillows. Once they both got comfortable in their seats, Louis passed him a glass before filling one up for himself.

“So about what I was saying earlier,” Louis coughed into his fist as he leaned back on the chair, hoping the other man hadn’t forgotten what they were discussing yesterday. He didn’t really want to continue this conversation, but it had to be done if they wanted to avoid any disagreements in the future.  

“Go on,” Harry said, taking a sip from his glass, staring at the pool in front of them.

“I think it’s better if we don’t have-" he paused in thought, "outside relationships for now.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“Because you’re right about what could have happened if someone saw Tom and I the other night,” Louis responded as he ran his hand through his hair. “They would have jumped to the worst conclusions and all the work we’ve done would be for waste.”

“That’s true,” Harry said simply in an even tone.

Luis sighed. “I’m sorry I let my guard down that night, but you have to believe me when I say I never planned to see him there let alone seek him out for that.”

Harry thought for a moment before responding. “Do you always do this? Not have relationships while you’re in a publicity one?”

Louis momentarily flashed back to his past ones, where he remembered shagging a guy not even two hours after he was photographed holding another man’s hand. And he’s pretty sure his publicity boyfriend was getting some on the side as well.

“Yes I do,” he lied. “I never date or sleep with anyone while I have a publicity relationship going on.”

By the look on Harry’s face, it almost seemed like he wouldn’t believe him, yet still didn’t. He didn’t call him out on it though, and he was thankful for that. “How did you meet him?” he asked suddenly.

Was he agreeing to this then? Louis wondered with a small frown. He didn’t really expect to be talking about Tom this much.

“I met him a few months ago at a photoshoot for a magazine,” he said after taking a sip of his own wine, welcoming the sweet bitterness that lingered on his tongue. “We went out for drinks that night and just meet every now and then. But we won’t for now, because of what I need to do with you.”

Louis could only hold his breath as he waited for his response, hoping all of their intentions were clear.

“Okay,” Harry answered after a moment.

“Okay what?”

“I agree to not dating or sleeping with anyone else while we do this,” Harry said as he met his eyes for the first time, turning to face him. “I think it would make things a lot easier on both of us if we stay single privately.”

Louis tried to hide his grin as he drank more of the wine. “I completely agree.”

“Good,” Harry grinned before downing the rest of his glass. “Now, how would you like to go for a late night swim?”

Louis almost choked on his drink. “Swim? Now?”

Before he realized what was happening, Harry was already shrugging off his shirt and throwing it aside. He stood up and started to unbutton his pants, and Louis was pretty sure his mouth was starting to grow dry at the sight. 

“What are you doing?” he swallowed, wetting his lips. 

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” he smirked as he finally shed his pants. Thankfully he was wearing a pair of light peach boxers underneath, or else Louis would have combusted on the spot.

“You’re really going swimming now? At night?”

“Do you think your pool doesn’t work at night, Louis?” Harry said over his shoulder as he walked towards the edge. Louis was still frozen in place as he watched him carefully dive into the water, gasping as he came up for air. He looked like a mermaid from one of those books he read to Judy a few summers ago; mermaids in the water tempting the pirates. His curly hair was dripping in ringlets along his face, his body shining in the moonlight as he floated along. 

“Join me?” he grinned as he brought both of his hands up to slick his hair back.

And that’s when Louis realized he barely moved since Harry did his impromptu strip.

“I’ll um-“ he shook his head, trying to get himself back into reality. “I’ll put my feet in.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “As if your feet are what the people want to see.”

Louis felt himself blush as he started to roll up the legs of his pants, putting his glass down. “I don’t see any people here,” he smirked. "There's just you, and I'm not sure if you're from this world." 

“I speak for the public,” Harry said as he waded over, Louis walking towards the edge and carefully sitting down. He felt the coolness of the water against his feet, but it did nothing to soothe the heat he felt once Harry reached for his ankle.

“You know I’m not a fan of getting wet,” he chuckled as Harry lightly splashed him on his legs. He watched as he waded closer, stopping once his chest hit his shin, Louis realizing he was holding his breath as he felt more of his warm skin against him. He could only stare as Harry rested his chin on his knee, his green eyes sparkling back up at him. 

“Good to know,” Harry grinned, and without warning, grabbed him from under his legs and flipped him into the water, fully submerging him. Louis came up for air sputtering, gasping as he saw Harry a few feet away giggling with only his head peaking out through the surface.

“Are you mad?” he coughed as he tried to splash water at him. “I’m not even undressed!”

“We can change that,” Harry giggled as he swam closer to him. “I can help you take off your pants.”

“Not before I get done with you,” he grumbled, which made Harry gasp and swim away. But Louis was quick to grab him by his ankle and yank him back towards him, hoping the younger man didn’t have any water travel up his nose in the process.

And Harry seemed fine as he pulled him to his chest, stuck together as Louis held him tightly around his torso with one arm.

“Now I’ve got you," he said as Harry draped his arms over his shoulders. 

"You do," he giggled, "and now what are you going to do?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he answered. His body was telling him to lean over and kiss him until he was breathless, but he knew he couldn't do that. They just basked in the quiet, looking at each other with ease. Minutes or hours could have passed, but all Louis could think about was how beautiful Harry looked in his arms like this, skinning glowing from the water, pink lips shining. He secretly wished he could never let go. 

“Thank you for inviting me here, Louis," Harry whispered, breaking the silence. "I hope it’s not too much trouble.”   

Louis felt his breath over his lips. “Like I told you before, Styles. You’re practically a good friend now. I like having you around.”

Harry slowly blinked at him, their eyes still locked. “Yeah,” he said softly, his face dangerously close to his. “I like being around you too.”

They held the gaze easily, not caring that it would probably get awkward very soon. Instead, they heard a deep meow coming from the bushes, both turning to look towards it.

“Oh, John Wayne,” Louis chuckled as he pulled away from Harry. “Hungry are you?”

“Did you really name a cat John Wayne?” Harry frowned as he watched him swim towards the steps.

“I had to,” he replied, taking the steps up until he was back on the hard concrete surface. “You’re about to see why.”

Harry continued to float in the pool, still confused and now a little colder since Louis wasn't holding him anymore. A few moments later Louis came out with a plate in his hand, kneeling on the ground to place it. He stayed in that position as he called out to the cat, who slowly made his way over to him. Still keeping his distance, Louis held his hand out, to which the cat responded with a firm hiss and growl.

“Okay okay,” Louis said as he stood back up and walked towards the outdoor storage unit, and brought out two massive towels. He put one around himself and opened one up for Harry, who quickly got out of the water and ran into his arms.

“I still don’t understand,” he murmured as he dried himself up while watching the cat eat from the plate Louis had left.

“A few years ago,” Louis said in a muffled tone as he brought the towel up to his face to dry himself more, “I had the displeasure of having to meet John Wayne. Absolute asshole. Said he loved my acting yet couldn’t stand that I sleep with men.”

“He didn’t,” Harry gasped, turning around to face him, “How could he say that?”

Louis shrugged before continuing. “Niall had to physically restrain me before I threw a punch, especially since I was a newcomer and couldn’t ruin my image with a brawl with a respected actor, but luckily Marlon Brando was around just in time to hear that and knocked him instead. Everyone knows he fucks men as well so he’s the  _last_ person you should be saying that drivel around,” he said with a smile.

Harry’s jaw dropped. “Is that what that was about? I remember my friend gave me one of her gossip magazines and I read about that! Marlon Brando getting in a brawl with John Wayne.”

Louis nodded. “I remember my face resembling yours that night. They continued to fight right on the floor in front of us, until Marlon got him to apologize to me. And I have yet to see John since then.”

“I assumed all those rumors of him being a racist were true,” Harry murmured. “Not a surprise he doesn’t like us as well. But,” he looked over at the cat who was almost done with his food, “what does that have to do with him?”

“Oh,” Louis chuckled as he went over and sat next to Harry on the bench. “A few days after the incident, I was just sunbathing here when a group of about five cats just appeared in my backyard. Naturally, I brought out food for them all. The friendly ones who would purr once I gave them some food got named after people I like: Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Liz Taylor, and Lucille Ball. That tabby cat,” Louis pointed to the feline, who was now staring at both of them with narrow eyes, “would snarl and hiss at me whenever I came near him, even if I still gave him food. So naturally, he could only have one name for him: John Wayne.”

Harry snickered as he listened. “I’m glad you found humor after that incident. I don’t know if I’d be able to take it that easily.”

“You learn to have a thick skin with certain things,” he shrugged in response, “and who I love to fuck is not something I’ll let others make me feel ashamed for. Besides, karma works in wonderful ways. He’ll never know the true pleasure of having an orgasm via prostate, given where it is.”

Harry let out a honk as he collapsed into giggles, covering his face as if he was trying to cover his smile. “Louis!” he gasped out in between laughs. “That’s naughty!”

Louis grinned back at him, happy he was able to make him laugh like that. He wondered how often he would get to do that in the short amount of time they would be spending together. Better to make the most of it. He watched as Harry yawned after a while, rubbing his eye with one hand.

“Let’s go inside,” he said softly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, feeling how warm the towel was now against his palm. After making sure Harry had everything he needed for bed and wished him a good sleep, Louis could only smile as he rested his head on his pillow. Everything felt right.  

***

The next evening, as the sun was beginning to set, Harry and Louis drove to Niall’s house for his dinner party. Harry had opted to wear a soft purple button up with loose tan slacks, while Louis had chosen one of his signature red polo shirts with dark pants.

And as he got dressed, Harry could only think about how wonderful his stay has been so far. Louis was the perfect host, and his house couldn’t have been more pristine. He was so happy about being invited into his home he almost forgot how angry he was at him in the first place and come to think of it he didn’t really feel like discussing it anymore, or being reminded of it, but he knew it was something they couldn’t avoid.

But Louis gave their arrangement the perfect solution, and Harry couldn’t help the relief he felt in his chest knowing that Louis wouldn’t be around Tom. For now, of course. Because Louis wasn’t his, but he was his publicly for the time being, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“We won’t have to act like a couple once we’re there right?” Harry asked as he watched the houses fly by. Niall’s house was a few blocks away, but Louis still insisted they drive there.

Louis slightly frowned. “I don’t think so. Why? Do you not like it?” He really had hoped none of what they were doing was making him uncomfortable.

Harry shook his head. “No no. I just like to know when I have to be more… aware that we’re doing that. That’s all.”

"Oh. I get that." Louis stayed silent for the rest of the drive, which wasn’t too long since Niall’s mansion came into view a few minutes later.

Once they parked the car in the driveway, they walked up to the house, wine bottle in hand as Louis knocked on the door. The door opened almost immediately, a grinning Niall in an orange apron reaching out to hug them both at the same time.

“Welcome lads!” he said as he pulled them in. “You still need to keep up this relationship here,” he whispered in their ears. “Judy has the biggest mouth at her school and she will not hesitate to blab to her friends or any gossip people she happens to find.”

They both nodded in response, looking at each other with wide eyes.

“Hello, mister!” came a voice from below, and they both looked down to see a brunette girl with blue eyes and pigtails staring up at them.

“Well hello, there,” Harry said as he got on one knee. He held out his hand. “My name is Harry. Yours?”

“Judy Stevens,” she said with a smile as she shook his hand, revealing a few missing teeth in the process.  

Niall gasped. “What happened to Horan-Stevens?” he asked in a horrified tone.

The small girl shrugged as she looked up at her father. “I get more people to do things for me at school when they realize I’m Richard Stevens’ daughter. Daddy is a famous director, and you’re just a manager, Papa. Think about my choices there.”

Louis tried to stifle a giggle as Harry barked out a laugh as he stood up.

“Nothing like your own daughter to put you in place,” Niall muttered with his hands on his hips.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Judy,” Louis said as he kneeled down to give her a hug. “I know if I’m not around to bother your father, you’re keeping things up anyways.”

“Always,” she said with a nod as he kissed his cheek. She turned back to Harry, looking him up and down. “So what do you do, Harry? Director like my daddy?”

“I’m an actor, like Louis,” he smiled as he looked over at him. “We’re filming the same movie right now.”

“Really?” she gasped.

“He’s actually my boyfriend as well,” Louis said as he intertwined their hands together, Harry squeezing his hand back.

“Boyfriend!” she squealed, her small palms flying up to cover her cheeks. “Finally, Uncle Louis! Now you can give me the little cousins I’ve been asking for.”

“Judy!” Niall hissed.

“Cousins?” Harry inquired as he looked over at Louis.

“She’s been asking me to give her some little cousins for her to play with,” Louis said with a playful eyeroll. “Always tells me I need a husband of my own since her dads have each other and so do Liam and Zayn. I don’t know why she gets on my case more when the Malik-Paynes are actually married.”

Harry suddenly felt a small finger nudging his stomach, and he looked down to find Judy poking against the fabric of his lilac shirt.

“May I help you?” he giggled.

“I’m just seeing if there’s a baby in there,” she frowned as she balled her hand into a fist and started to knock gently.

It was Louis’ turn to hiss her name. “Judy! You don’t go around feeling other men’s bellies!” he said as he pulled Harry closer to him.

The little girl rolled her eyes in response. “Not everyone’s belly! Just Harry’s.” She turned to face said man. “Please let me know when you’re expecting. Alice Johnson’s mother had a big baby shower when her little brother was born, and I want a bigger one. At least twice the size of hers.”

Harry chuckled. “I’ll let you know as soon as I know,” he said as he booped her nose.

“Niall,” Louis said curtly as he turned towards him. “Have you explained to her that men don’t get pregnant?”

“You think I haven’t?” Niall rustled. “I’ve told her a million times! And you know what she said? ‘That’s what the government wants you to think.’ She’s seven! Where the hell does she get this?” he threw his hands in the air as they walked into the hallway. “I’m going to help Richard in the kitchen with the rest of the food. Judy, show them to the living room where your other uncles are.”

“Okay, Papa,” she said happily as she grabbed Harry’s hand and dragged him down the hallway, who in turn reached for Louis’ hand and dragged him as well.

“The government,” Harry giggled in a whisper to Louis. He was still trying to process whether Niall meant to include him as a “uncle” to her. He knew he wasn’t actually dating Louis, but if he was, would he already be considered an uncle this soon? Probably a slip of the tongue in a rush. Nothing more.

“What’s this about a baby? We could hear Niall’s lecture from here.” Zayn quirked an eyebrow as he and Liam stood up from the couch. They greeted Harry and Louis with hugs as Judy walked alongside them, whispering that they were still boyfriends in her eyes and had to play it that way.

“I want Harry to have some babies for Louis,” Judy said matter-o-factly as she hopped on the couch, smoothing out her baby blue dress around with her hands.

“Babies?” Liam said as he looked between them. “A month into dating and children already on the mind?”

“Oh shut it,” Louis rolled his eyes. “As if you didn’t want to propose to Zayn the first time you were on your knees for-“

“Louis!” Zayn and Harry yelled in unison.

“There is a c-h-i-l-d around,” Harry hissed.

"Get your mind out of the gutters, lads," Louis huffed. "I was about to say something completely different." 

Liam turned towards her. “Do you want to go outside and play with Mickey, darling? We’ll be out in a sec.”

Judy shrugged as she hopped off the couch. “You’re lucky I’m not the best speller in my class,” she muttered as she opened the screen door and started running towards the golden retriever.

“Richard will kill us!” Zayn gasped, watching Judy start to play with her dog. 

“Richard?” Harry frowned as he looked back at Louis. “Won’t Niall be mad too?”

Liam shook his head. “Niall curses like a sailor when he’s in a mood, and Judy just happens to be around when he does. The first time it happened Niall didn’t even realize she was around, and when he did he simply shrugged and said, ‘Well she’s not hearing anything she doesn’t hear in school’.”

“As if her schoolmates know more curse words than her Irish father,” Louis cut in with an eyeroll.

“But then she cursed up a storm when Richard came home that evening, and he knew exactly who to blame for that. So from then on Niall had bribed her to not tell her father whenever he curses in front of her.”

“And she’s not the type to be bribed with sweets either,” Zayn chuckled as he went to close the screen door. “Demands money because she knows her parents have it. That’s how she managed to save up and adopt Mickey when he was a puppy.”

“I can already tell she’s going to be a handful in her teenage years,” Harry giggled. He walked up to the screen door and watched as she threw a tennis ball across the yard. Suddenly he found himself imagining having a family of his own. A husband he adored, with their children running around the house causing a wonderful ruckus. He imagined his children with curly mops of hair on their heads, and maybe having soft blue eyes as well.

“Growing a baby there, Styles?”

Harry froze as his trance was broken, and slowly turned to find Louis next to him, and staring down at something under his chest. He followed his gaze down to his stomach, finding his hand protectively placed over it, mimicking how he’s seen pregnant women hold their own.

“I’ll let Judy know I’m probably expecting soon,” he giggled.

“That would require us to actually sleep together,” Louis smirked.

“We’ll just have to fake that too,” Harry retorted as he held his head high. “I’ll say you’re a decent shag and I’m already two weeks pregnant.”

“Decent?” Louis sputtered. “I’ll have you know-”

“Dinner is ready!” Niall called out from some part of the house. They both turned to see Zayn and Liam had already left some time ago, so they hurried to the patio where they were setting up the table. Harry quickly introduced himself to Richard, who turned out to be a rather tall blonde with a strong grip on his hand. He had the classic Hollywood look to him, firm jaw, deep voice, good looking all around. If Niall hadn't told him he was a director, he would have thought he was one of their top billed actors at one of the studios. 

“Happy to meet you as well,” Richard replied with a warm smile. “Do sit down next to Lou- erm. Your boyfriend,” he said pointedly.

“Thank you,” Harry said as he moved over with Louis.

“I’m not forgetting that remark,” the older man murmured as they sat down next to each other.

Harry simply smirked back at him.

They saw Judy skipping her way to her seat, already giving some pieces of food to Mickey without her parents noticing. Harry tried to hide his smile as he watched.

Once everyone was settled, they passed around the dishes to fill up their plates. Richard had cooked a chicken in the oven, telling a story of how he once left Niall in charge of baking and he managed to save the chicken before it was fully cooked since Niall didn’t season it.

“I put salt and pepper on it!” Niall grumbled.

“Salt is not a spice, dear,” Richard said as the rest of the table laughed.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, with Harry easily falling into conversation with the group. He thought he would have had some trouble, given that he was an outsider to them all, but Niall and his husband were just as welcoming as Liam and Zayn were, and he didn’t think their interest in him was based on pity or because he was Louis’ co-star. He felt as if they were all willing to welcome him regardless of his relationship with Louis, and he couldn’t feel more grateful for their acceptance.

"You should definitely come visit us over the summer," Richard said.

“You know you’re always welcome here, Haz,” Niall said as he passed over the garden salad. He lowered his voice as he continued on. “You can even bring your actual boyfriend if you’d like! Once you’re done with this whole thing.”

Harry glanced around as he fished for something to say. “Oh I-“

“Hey!” Niall yelped as he jumped up from his chair. A tipped over glass sat near the edge of the table, with Louis’ hand near it.

“Oh sorry, mate,” he tsked as he shook his head. “Clumsy of me.”

“Yeah, clumsy,” Niall muttered as he stood up while Richard started dabbing napkins on him.

“You look like you wet your pants, Papa,” Judy giggled as she plopped a piece of steak into her mouth.

“Thank you for the observation, sweet pea,” he grimaced as he looked down again. “I’m going to go change, but please continue to eat. Don’t want anyone to wait on my account while I go change.”

Harry looked over to Louis, arching a brow as he tried to figure out why Louis would do that to Niall of all people. Had he said something to Louis before and this was just payback? And he knew it had to be on purpose because, even in the short time that he’s come to know him, Louis was by no means clumsy.

But Louis just smiled back at him, continuing on a conversation with Liam as if nothing happened. Harry didn’t need to press further.

The evening progressed into more laughter and sharing stories once Niall returned. Liam was describing the new plot ideas for the next season of their show, which they had been in meetings for all week. They had locked lips for an episode in the first season, but now that their storyline was going in another direction, they wondered when their characters would officially become a couple.

“I can’t wait until that happens,” Liam said as he cut his steak. “Getting to call Zayn my husband on screen as well.”

“Until then I have a wonderful time zapping away anyone who tries to take my man,” Zayn said with a grin. “My magic is so useful in that, but if only I could use that in real life,” he continued, a slight pout on his lips.

“You know I’m yours,” Liam said softly, leaning over to peck his lips, a smile blooming on Zayn’s face in response.

Richard even gave them some insight into his current project: The Little Mermaid, but with lesbians.

“Rita Hayworth is currently in the run for Ariel, and we snagged Dorothy Dandridge to play Erica, the princess she falls in love with.”

“And it was all Judy’s idea to get him to join the film,” Niall said with a laugh. “After reading the fairy tales, she insisted he direct it once she heard him on the phone with studio heads.”

Needless to say, Harry was probably the second most excited person about it, right after Judy. The Little Mermaid was one of his favorite fairy tales growing up. He had fond memories of his mother reading it to him before he went to sleep and ending up dreaming of himself as one of the sea creatures. He’d sometimes wake up with a huff when he realized he had legs instead of a tailfin.

And eventually, Harry and Louis talked about how their own film was going.

“Do you know we have to do a small fight scene in a few weeks?” Louis said as he took a sip of lemonade. “Us. Fighting.”

“Really?” Zayn frowned. “I thought your characters were supposed to be lovers.”

“They are,” Harry pipped up, “but to add a little bit of drama, James and the writers decided to add a lover spat to keep things interesting. Next week we actually start the choreography training for it.”

“I guess I’ll just be taking all my scruples out with you during that scene,” Louis nudged him playfully.

“And who says I won’t?” Harry said with a wink before taking a sip from Louis’ lemonade.

He noticed that Zayn and Liam shared a look between them across the table, but since Louis didn’t seem to notice he couldn’t think more of it.

As the sun finally left the sky and left darkness over the desert, they all realized they were losing a member as the night wore on. Judy let out a big yawn after she finished her milk and cookies, insisting earlier that Harry have the same as her for desert, which he happily obliged.

“I’m tired, Papa,” she whispered as she rubbed her eye.

“Oh darling,” Niall said as he rushed over and picked her up in his arms. “Let’s go tuck you in.”

Richard got up from the table. “Excuse us. We always tuck her in together and read a story.” He smoothed her hair as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

“They’re so adorable,” Harry said after they closed the glass door behind them.

“As if we don’t know,” Liam grinned.

“The day we met Richard we knew he was the perfect match for Niall,” Zayn said as he poured another glass of wine for Liam and him. “Tall, blonde, and handsome with a deep voice. As if Niall's dream boy had come to life. We were actually working on a film with him that he was directing, and if it wasn’t for Louis dragging Niall along to visit our set, they never would have met.”

“Love at first sight?” Harry asked, looking around the group. He received a variety of nods in response.

“Niall was just gone for him from the start, and Richard wouldn’t stop asking about him for the next few days,” Louis explained. “Eventually we just gave him his number and the rest is history.”

They continued to give little anecdotes about their relationship, Harry feeling as if he was there to witness them. Right as they finished their accounts of the wedding, not missing the important detail of Niall bawling while he tried to say his vows, the happy couple emerged from the kitchen hand in hand.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Richard said as they sat back at their seats. “Judy wanted to desperately find out what happened to Rapunzel in the end of her book.”

"Life as parents," Niall said as they sat down. "Wouldn't trade it for the world."

“So why Judy?” Harry asked as he took a sip of wine, realizing he wanted to know. “It’s not a really common name, and I think that’s the one story I haven’t heard about.”

Richard let out a laugh as he leaned back in his chair. “It’s all yours, honey,” he said to Niall.

“I promised Judy Garland by first born during a drunk bet, and I didn’t think she’d ever cash that in,” Niall grumbled as he eyed his husband.

Now that was surprising. Judy Garland was famous enough in her own right, so it wasn’t too far fetched to think Niall and Richard might have named their daughter after her as a sign of admiration, but Harry could hardly contain his giggles at the thought of it being a sign of defeat instead.

“You did what?” Louis choked on his wine. “Why didn’t I know about this story?”

“I did tell you!” Niall huffed out.

“When?”

“At Frank’s New Years Party a few years back,” he answered simply.

“You mean when I was blackout drunk and didn’t remember anything from that night?”

Niall shrugged. “Seemed like the perfect time to tell you,” was all he could say as the rest of the group laughed along.

“You’re an idiot for even betting with her in the first place,” Liam chuckled. “She never loses a bet.”

“You can imagine my surprise when I found out our daughter already had a name before we even started dating,” Richard grunted as he adjusted himself in his seat. “And to make matters worse, Judy was actually starring in the film I was directing at the time! I’m amazed she even kept their little secret to herself all that time.”

“And when did Niall even inform you of this?” Harry laughed.

“About 3 months before she was born,” Richard said. “I had a list of baby girl names all set that I spent hours on the night before, and I was halfway through the list when Niall finally had the balls to tell me about his little bet.”

“You know you love me,” he said in his sweetest tone.

“Always will,” Richard responded with a smile.

Harry started to wonder what he'd like to name his own children, looking at Louis as he thought of names. Louisa wouldn't be a bad choice, if he had a girl. But for a boy? That was still up in the air. He’d think his future husband would like ot have his own input anyway.

Some neighbors stopped by later on in the night, and while Louis, Richard, Niall and Liam went to play cards with them, Harry decided to stay on the patio with Zayn, continuing to drink and catch up.

“So did you ever find out what happened with him and Tom?” Zayn asked, sipping his glass of wine, a cigar in his other hand. “Are they still seeing each other?”

Harry thought for a moment. He wanted to tell him they had agreed to not see anyone during this stunt, but he didn’t want Zayn to think him stupid for agreeing to that. Not that he thought himself stupid, but it’s best if not many people knew about it. It almost felt too private to share.

He simply shook his head in response. “He’s not going to see him for now." And he'd be lying if he said he wasn’t happy about that.

“Really? I guess it’s for the better. I think he rarely brings them here anyway,” Zayn thought for a moment. “Actually, Tom probably hasn’t been here. Maybe to Palm Springs, but never to Louis’ home.”

Now that was interesting, and it did put his mind at ease a bit. He didn’t really want to see Tom ever again, even after this was over.

“Has Louis brought other boyfriends back here before?” He wanted to know if he’d have any potential run ins with his exes, and at the very least keep it private if they did.

Zayn shrugged “Like I told you before, he doesn’t have boyfriends. They’re mostly just long-term hookups from the ones I’ve met. And we’ve never really got proper introductions from Louis either, so it clearly wasn’t that serious to him. I think in the past he’s brought them up here to Palm Springs for a few fun days but… he’s always had this informal rule,” he tells him. “He never brings them to his house. They always stayed at one of the hotels around here instead”

Harry frowned. “Why not?” He wasn’t even his actual boyfriend yet he was still staying in Louis’ house. Why didn’t his hookups get the same treatment?

Zayn shrugged again, taking another puff from his cigar. “I think he finds it too intimate. He just doesn’t like to get attached that easily. Can’t even remember the last time he had a proper relationship if I really think about it. We always tell him he should find someone to settle down with but,” he shrugged. “He seems to enjoy his life as it is.”

Louis probably didn’t want his pity, but Harry couldn’t help it. Was he really happy not dating anyone else? His role as Hadrian was a stern one, but he could feel the gentleness Louis had when they had their scenes together. His eyes wet soft, his mouth so kissable, his touch tender. It was clear as day he could be a great partner, but why didn’t he settle down yet when all his friends had?

“Do you ever think he’d change his mind?” Harry whispered. “Do you see him marrying someone eventually?”

Zayn thought for a moment. “I think so. If the right person comes, you’re willing to turn your world around just for them. Liam wasn’t looking to settle down when we met but…” he smiled to himself. “Proposed to me not even a month into dating. Love does that to you. Makes you want to hold on and never let go.”

“I’m glad you found that with Liam,” Harry said with a smile. He sighed as he leaned back in the lawn chair, gazing up at the twinkling stars.

“And when will that happen to me?” he whispered to himself, as if the stars would give him the answer. Maybe they could. Maybe.

***

Eventually it was time for both of them to leave, thanking Niall and Richard for their hospitality. Louis watched as Zayn shared a knowing smile with Harry as they shook hands goodbye, but he knew he could ask Harry about it later. Not that he’d get anything out of him tonight though, because Harry’s eyes were getting smaller by the second as they drove home.

And he thought he wouldn’t see his roommate for the rest of the night once he mumbled out a soft “good night”, but after he changed into his pajamas and went to turn off the lights around the house, he found Harry standing in the kitchen, clearly looking for something.

“Need help?” he asked.

“Oh,” Harry said, his eyes wide. “Sorry, just looking to see where you keep your sugar.”

A joke could be made from that, but Louis refrained from saying anything more than necessary. His bed was calling him, but he wouldn’t mind if Harry was in it as well. To just cuddle, of course. “It’s in this cabinet,” he said as he walked over to the one above the sink, opening the door and pulling it out.

“Thank you,” Harry said with a shy smile.

“Drinking tea then?” He didn’t see any teacups out.

The other man shook his head. “Need it for my milk.”

Louis wrinkled his nose. “You’re just putting sugar in your milk?”

And there it was, a flush on Harry’s cheeks. “Yes? Um- reminds me of home. My mum used to give it to me when I couldn’t sleep. That or honey. Just something sweet in my milk.”

“Oh,” Louis said as he walked over. He couldn’t sleep? Was something wrong? “Well there’s no shame in that, Styles. Though I would like to know if there’s something I could do to help you sleep better.”

That might have come out slightly more sexual than he intended, but he was tired and wanted to make sure Harry wouldn’t be up worrying at night. Harry didn’t seem to mind though, simply smiling back at him.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Harry giggled, pouring the milk into a glass. “I always find it hard to sleep in a new place the first night. I think I barely got an hour of sleep my first night in my hotel room, so it’s just me being stupid with my sleep schedule.”

“You’re not stupid,” Louis said with a frown, reaching over to cover Harry’s hand with his own. He meant it as a comforting gesture, but he couldn’t ignore the heat that prickled at his skin as he touched him.

“Thank you,” Harry whispered, not taking his hand away. Louis watched as his eyes traveled from their joined hands until they reached his own. Even in the low light of the kitchen, his green eyes were still as gorgeous as they were in the sunlight. Except how they seemed softer when they were clouded with sleep, Louis just wanting to kiss his eyelids closed. He wanted to say “eyes" and lean over to give him a peck, just an excuse to kiss him like they did in public. But there weren’t any prying eyes around them in his own home. There wasn’t any excuse now.

“You’re welcome, Styles,” he said instead, taking his hand off his and starting to walk away. “I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Louis,” Harry replied, his eyes blinking a few times before visibly swallowing. Louis didn’t wait around to see if he’d finish his milk or not; he just wanted to get to his own bed and forget about everything in his dreams.

But fate was cruel, because as soon as his head met his pillow, his eyes decided they wanted to do everything but sleep, and his mind started to wander.

Louis started to think of how their evening went in the first place. He didn’t think it would happen so fast, but he couldn’t believe how easily Harry fit into their friend group. Not to mention the feeling of having a partner during these sorts of gatherings. Louis was usually the fifth wheel whenever either couple decided to hold their dinner parties, and not that he minded since he was in good company, but he couldn’t deny that after watching multiple soft kisses or tender looks or anything that gave away their long-term bond, he sometimes wished he had that himself.

But he was a bachelor by choice, and usually when he felt lonely he would weigh the pros and cons of it, with the pros usually winning. He didn’t know how to feel when he realized this con side would weight heavier with every look at Harry.

Maybe it was just what Harry represented, not actually Harry himself. Yes, that was it. Not actually Harry, just the idea of what he could possibly want. Maybe… dating another actor wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe.

Before he could further his traitorous feelings on his bachelorhood, he decided it was best to count sheep and slip into dreamland without another thought. And if he dreamt about dating someone that looked like Harry? Well… he couldn’t help that.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! And if you're reading along, thank you!!


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